


Just friends?

by ashen_girl44



Series: Without you [2]
Category: Ugly Betty
Genre: Adopted Children, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 09:29:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9065893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashen_girl44/pseuds/ashen_girl44
Summary: This part will explain what happens to Daniel and Betty after Rosa's adoption, it will be more like a series of one shots, seeing as there is a lot of time to cover, but there is still a detty element in it. There will still be other relationships of Daniel and Betty, ones close to cannon, as this part will explain the bigger changes in cannon caused by the consequences. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty

* * *

CHAPTER 1: 2007

* * *

  
today was the day of his father’s wedding, which Daniel was sure he was not going to handle very well.  
  
since Rosa left them for her new life in England things hadn’t necessarily made sense. Betty broke off things between them, trying to get him to accept it as a decision that would be mutually beneficial for them. He did agree with that, but there was a part of him (that was all of him) that would always love Betty more than he could realise. He loved her, and he couldn’t live without her. but, he didn’t because she would still be his friend, that was better than nothing.  
  
But he would take anything to not let his father marry Wilhelmina, he even wished that the thing Betty said about Wilhelmina and her body guard were true. And it could be. He would have to go and do some investigating. He just wished everything would be simple, but then again, nothing was. There wasn’t a moment that went by when he didn’t think about Rosa. It was like all the pieces of his heart fell apart, after he had carefully glued them together.

* * *

 

He was right! Well Betty was, more like! Wilhelmina was cheating on his father, or so he thought. But, why didn’t Betty say anything again. if she had told him in the morning he may have believed her… maybe. He wasn’t sure yet…  
  
He ran down to the MODE offices, his heart pounding as he walked into Wilhelmina’s office, looking around to see if there was any evidence. He might as well start looking.  
  
He was rooting around in her silver cupboard when he heard the voices of Betty… and someone. Was that henry? Before he knew it, he smacked his head on the underside of the cabinet and alerted them of his presence.  
  
“Daniel?” he heard Betty’s voice say in shock, as he noticed her hastily pull her hand away from henry.  
  
“hey… Betty, henry.” He tried to keep his vice steady although it was shaking with anger.  
  
“hi, Daniel,” she gave him a wide smile. He didn’t know what she had felt. they hadn’t talked that much in between the fights with Alexis, and the power play over the Meade and attention from his dad. Since the month that had passed from Rosa’s birth they had drifted further apart.  
  
“what are you doing here?” Betty asked, her voice shaking too. He noticed henry’s hand reach for hers again. if he punched out that idiot that was currently clinging to his Betty then he couldn’t be held responsible.  
  
“I need something to prove that Wilhelmina is cheating on her body guard.” Daniel said, standing up and wiping his sweaty hands on his designer jeans.  
  
“oh, right,” Betty responded forlornly, looking at her feet.  
  
“Betty, you know what you said to me about seeing them? Please tell me that was true,” Betty’s eyes widened as she realised what Daniel was talking about.  
  
“can we talk privately?” she said, moving away from henry and to beside Daniel. she moved past him back into his office, where henry was waiting for Betty.  
  
“what the hell are you doing with henry?” Daniel yelled and Betty stepped back.  
  
“I am not doing anything, he is my friend,”  
  
“Betty,” his voice was showing how much of her patience had been tested. But Betty hadn’t done anything wrong, in reality… he was just being jealous.  
  
“Daniel. I am not with henry in that way! I wanted to get something I bought my dad for his citizenship ceremony, henry is my friend.”  
  
“really, how come you were holding hands then?”  
  
“mine were cold, please Daniel. as if would do something that stupid, he got another girl pregnant,” Betty responded, while Daniel’s anger still flared. He was thinking about Rosa. He was thinking how unfair it was for this guy to keep a child he didn’t even want, Daniel knew the rumours, he knew that henry had a major crush on Betty.  
  
“I think you are lying Betty, it is me- we don’t lie to each other,” his voice was low, while hers was high with annoyance.  
  
“wasn’t this conversation supposed to be about Wilhelmina?”  
  
“yes, it is. You know what you said about Wilhelmina and her bodyguard, was that true?”  
  
“yes, I tried to tell you but you wouldn’t listen,” Betty folded her arms crossly over her chest.  
  
“if you had told me in the morning I would have believed you! god, Betty! You were hysterical, which was understandable, but,”  
  
“no but’s Daniel! I did what I had to, we both made that sacrifice,”  
  
“please don’t bring her into this!” he thundered, before turning his chair around so that he didn’t have to hear her. “please, just go!”  
  
“Daniel, it is your dad’s wedding, I want to come later, for… support,” her voice was gentler, however it just seemed to make Daniel angrier.  
“please just go! Back to your date with henry!” he yelled, before Betty slammed out of his office, leaning her back against the door, in defeat.  
She didn’t get why Daniel was so angry. He had no right to be, even if his father was getting married off to a monster. He should at least listen to her! she had gone through the same trauma that Daniel did!  
  
She stepped back to henry’s side as he watched her walk through the hallways. She wasn’t dating him, she wasn’t that stupid. He had a pregnant ex-girlfriend back in Tucson, while he was only in New York and MODE because of Charlie. She had just given birth to her own baby, which wasn’t hers. She couldn’t even have sex yet, so there was no chance of a relationship happening.  
  
“hey, Betty. Are you okay?” henry asked and Betty nodded, smiling slightly.  
  
“yeah, let’s go. I didn’t manage to get the gift,” she smiled at henry, before he followed her down the hallways.  
  
“why did Daniel think we were dating?” he asked, trying to look solemn, although Betty knew he must be pleased. She knew it was a bit unwise being friends with someone who had a crush on her, but she didn’t seem to have many other friends at this point.  
  
“because he is an idiot,” she replied coldly, dragging henry with her.  
  
They got to the citizenship ceremony, Betty was still mad at Daniel and all through the cab ride over she had been fuming at him, but not saying a word. Why did he have to be so insensitive? It wasn’t her fault that their baby wasn’t with them, she did everything she could. But she couldn’t help being rich like Daniel’s family, and actually liking her father, thus concentrating on getting him home.  
  
“thank goodness you came, Mija, I was worried you weren’t going to show up,” Ignacio said the minute the ceremony was over, as he returned to his family’s side.  
  
“no, I just ran late… also henry came,” Betty motioned to her side, where henry stood awkwardly. Ignacio nodded at him. her family weren’t that keen on henry.  
  
“hello, henry…”  
  
“hi, Mr. Suarez, congratulations.” They said and Betty congratulated her father, while they went back to queens, without henry.  
  
They got into their house, racing to turn on the television, for Justin who said the non-animated news was not enough to sustain him. Betty got pulled into Hilda’s salon.  
  
She cornered her sister, before pulling her into a salon chair.  
  
“Betty, what the hell is going on?” Hilda said in that very Hilda like, very loud way. Betty cringed and put her hands over her ears.  
  
“you don’t have to yell. And nothing is going on, I am fine,” she insisted, as Hilda started to brush her hair. Great, Betty was in hair-epy.  
  
“you aren’t acting like it? are you mad at us?”  
  
“no, why would I be mad at you?” Betty’s confused gaze met her sister’s in the mirror.  
  
“because to get Papi home you had to give up your baby,”  
  
“she would have had to go either way, I did what would be best for this family,” she said calmly, and let Hilda play with her hair a bit more.  
  
“what happened then? Because you were fine, and suddenly you aren’t,” Hilda argued, holding the hairbrush above Betty’s head semi-threateningly.  
  
“fine, me and Daniel may have had a bit of an argument,” Betty responded with. Hilda gave her an unimpressed look.  
  
“it wasn’t like that, okay… we just, he was mad about something,” Betty finally admitted.  
  
“would it be henry, by any chance?” Betty twisted around in her seat, looking at Hilda.  
  
“what made you think that?”  
  
“because he is jealous, and you have always been the one to tell each other what is happening,” Hilda reiterated. Betty knew she was right. And that was another thing that was making her feel guilty.  
  
She had just told Daniel how it was going to be, she didn’t give him a chance to redeem himself. She had told him she didn’t feel ready, but she wouldn’t let him fight. it wasn’t fair, but there wasn’t much Betty could do now.  
  
“right. He was also mad about me not telling him about Wilhelmina and her bodyguard, even though I did. He just wouldn’t listen,”  
  
“he was probably bringing that up because he didn’t know what else to say. You can’t blame the man Betty, you just have to understand how he feels. He just lost his daughter, and then you were gone from his life too, chica. It might be better in the long term, but in the short-term Daniel needs you as much as you need him,” Hilda said, putting one hand on her hip and pursing her lips at Betty. Betty knew that was the truth, but it didn’t stop it from seeming like it was some fantasy that she was still living in.  
  
“I know, I said we should still be friends, but he hasn’t seemed to grasp that yet,” Betty sulkily admitted.  
  
“Betty, he might not have because you haven’t given him a chance. You have just told him to forget any chance with you, and become friends… after all you have been through. You are breaking his heart even more,”  
  
“still! He had no right of accusing he of sleeping with henry!” Betty’s voice rose, as she felt herself getting angrier.  
  
“I know, Betty… but, he was hurting. He doesn’t know what is going on, his dad is marrying that crazy woman, and you have left him and he doesn’t have his baby girl anymore. And neither do you,” Hilda said, tugging Betty’s bangs to the side. Betty brushed them back irritably, and went to feel for the necklace that would otherwise be at her neck. She missed it, but not as much as her baby.  
  
“so, are you going to go and try and convince his dad?” Hilda asked, putting her hand on Betty’s shoulder.  
  
“yes, I am. Good idea Hilda,” Betty said, pulling off the hairdresser’s cape off of her, pulling on her furry boots before dashing out of the room.  
She could do this, she could make everything right for Daniel so that he wouldn’t be disappointed, because she needed Daniel at this point in time, even if it wasn’t in the way he wanted. They could be there for each other like they were supposed to, in the beginning.  
  
Betty got into the church seeing the crowd milling, as well as Daniel looking indecently handsome in a grey suit. She quietly stepped over to him.  
She didn’t want to alert him of her presence just yet, she needed a minute to refine what she was going to say to Daniel, because she hadn’t managed to in the cab ride over. but, he heard her heels on the cobblestone and whipped around to face her.  
  
“Betty? What are you doing here?” his tone sounded exasperated, however his facial expression told her that he wasn’t, he was hopeful.  
  
“I thought I might as well tell your father,”  
  
“no, I am. I should have listened to you, and I am sorry I called you a lair,” he said, he seemed to be over their little argument and was looking extremely remorseful.  
  
“it is okay. I wasn’t fair on you, I should have at least given you a chance, after all Rosa just got taken away from us,”  
  
“I know, it isn’t fair, is it?”  
  
“no!” Betty said, pursing her lips, assuming a very similar expression to one the Rosa had when she was cross.  
  
“I just wanted someone to understand, we didn’t lose her. she didn’t die, but it isn’t like we are suddenly going to find her, is it? and seeing you with henry, it just… it really annoyed me, because I thought you were moving on so fast. I couldn’t do that,”  
  
“nor could I, that is why I am not actually with henry. We both have too much stuff going on… plus I am still getting over you,” Betty shyly looked down at her floral print dress. She hated still being so fat after the baby, because she had gained a lot of weight from Rosa, so she had to borrow some more of her mom’s old clothes.  
  
“why do you need to get over me?” Daniel asked, looking at Betty’s hands which were clutched in her lap. Betty couldn’t look into his eyes since she didn’t know whether or not she could still say no after doing so.  
  
“because it wouldn’t be fair to Rosa,” Betty said in a voice so quiet she didn’t know whether or not she had actually said that.  
  
“what? Betty, I didn’t hear that… it sounded like it wouldn’t be fair to Rosa,” Daniel said, leaning over to her, forgetting that they were outside, instead they were together in their own little world.  
  
“well, it wouldn’t. for us to move on together with our lives, maybe have more kids… I don’t know, whatever would happen. But we will be without Rosa, and it wouldn’t be fair to move on together… without her,” Betty mumbled, however she made sure Daniel could hear every word of it.  
  
“I know… but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” Daniel repeated, his voice wavering.  
  
“I am sorry Daniel, but maybe just friends for the meantime? It is too soon anyway,” Betty insisted, before Daniel gently kissed her.  
  
“for goodbye, about us. I do love you Betty, I don’t think that will change,” Daniel looked up away from Betty and noticed that everyone had disappeared. They were late to the wedding, Daniel needed to tell his father, because the wedding would go on without him. they didn’t need him, Alexis was best man… best woman… who used to be a man.  
  
He looked up at the grey sky, it looked as if it would threaten rain, however he didn’t know what to say. He needed to come up with a plan that was rational and didn’t make him seem delusional. The reason why Wilhelmina could get away with taking their baby, is because she knew that she was untouchable. She knew that no one would believe those who had dirt on her, because she could make them seem crazy.  
  
Daniel clasped Betty closer and moved away from her, running into the church. Betty sat outside, it wasn’t like some of the rustic churches in the countryside she had seen in pictures, it was a New York city one. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t somewhere you could escape it all. Betty stood outside, her arms folded over her chest, hoping someone wouldn’t come and tell her off for standing there, gormless in anticipation.  
  
Daniel stood inside, marching up to his father before the ceremony was properly started, he could see the anger, evident on Wilhelmina’s face. he felt smug. He stepped to the side, while his father gave him a thin-lipped smile.  
  
“dad, I need to talk to you?” Daniel said, moving closer to his father. He must have seen the urgency in Daniel’s eyes since Bradford held up a finger to Wilhelmina and walked away from the altar. Wilhelmina looked as if she was about to snap the bouquet in half.  
  
“what is it Daniel? and this better be important, you are interrupting my wedding,” all traces of the kindness had vanished now, all that was left being coldness that Daniel often saw expressed in his father’s eyes. Especially when it was directed at Daniel. he looked down the corridor, the one lined with tiles that led to the front of the church. Daniel thought he could see the blurry outline of Betty waiting out there for him.  
  
“dad I need to tell you something about Wilhelmina, and it couldn’t wait for the ‘I object’ bit, okay,” Daniel tried to remain calm, although he could feel his pulse racing.  
  
“Daniel, you would say anything to sabotage our relationship,” his father spat back, but then continued “and I can see why, I am really sorry. I wasn’t the one who said for Rosa to go away,”  
  
“but you backed her up dad, you sent my baby girl away,” Daniel tried to stop his voice from shaking, it was hard though. He couldn’t talk about his daughter without wanting to smash something, maybe something that was very expensive and belonged to Wilhelmina. He would take whatever payback he could get.  
  
“that isn’t a reason to hate Wilhelmina,”  
  
“erm… yes, it is. She has tried to sabotage me more times than I can think of, and she took my child away, not to mention she sold pictures of pre-op Alexis to the press, and-,” Daniel persisted with the somewhat arrogant tone, he couldn’t help it.  
  
“Daniel, please you are delaying my wedding,”  
  
“fine, about four months ago, Betty saw Wilhelmina and Duane together, and so did I this morning.”  
  
“Daniel, why are you listening to Betty? She is just your assistant, I know that much. And her child is gone, she would do anything to get her back,” Bradford accused.  
  
“dad! Listen to me! I am telling the truth, I promise!” Daniel was starting to yell at his father now, he had tried keeping calm, but that didn’t work.  
  
“please, just give it up! You are driving my blood pressure up, stop it!” Bradford yelled back at Daniel, before he stormed back into the church.  
Daniel looked dejected, and went back outside to Betty. She was waiting in the cold air, with a sad expression on her face.  
  
“how did it go?”  
  
“awful, he didn’t believe me,”  
  
“I am so sorry Daniel,” Betty pulled him into a tight hug, like the ones they used to share as friends. She knew that they could go back to being them… maybe not exactly the same, but still.  
  
“it is okay. But, there is nothing we can do. Maybe just go home for now, I will call you later.” He said, as Betty nodded. She didn’t need to be there, and she was just so angry at Wilhelmina for messing everything up that she didn’t really want to be there.  
  
“I will call you later, I promise,” Betty gave him a final squeeze before setting off back home.  
  
Daniel watched her retreating figure, reminding him of the day of work when he was actually nice to her, the first of those days as a team. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around, seeing marc look at him, his face pale and shell-shocked. Amanda was standing behind him, in a similar sense of disarray.  
  
“what happened?”  
  
“your… dad…” marc wheezed, bringing out his inhaler.  
  
“what is wrong with my dad, did he marry her?” Daniel asked, feeling fear bubble in his chest.  
  
“no, Daniel your dad just had a suspected heart attack, the ambulance is on its way,” Amanda informed him, as Daniel ran back into the building without a second thought. He needed to make sure he was alright, because he couldn’t let his dad go without saying goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty.

* * *

CHAPTER 2: 2008

* * *

  
Things had changed so much since Daniel’s father’s death. That didn’t just include Wilhelmina trying to take over the magazine, by completely corrupting all of the servers by sending out a computer virus. Betty still rallied everyone to come to MODE’s aid. Well, the ones who actually remained faithful to the magazine. They had managed to do it, with Daniel and Alexis teaming up after their father’s death.   
  
Especially since Daniel’s father had said how sorry he was and for her to look after Daniel. she couldn’t believe that, since Bradford was always the one to discourage their relationship. She felt even worse about breaking up with Daniel then.   
  
Betty managed to even say goodbye to him, finding Claire Meade and Yoga in her house was one terrifying thing, but it didn’t stop her from rushing Claire to the hospital to say goodbye to Bradford. One good thing about her recapture was that her trial went well, Betty actually saved the day- after she made out with Gio, which was probably one of the worse decisions of her life (especially because in her delusional perfume addled mind she was kissing Daniel)  
  
But now things were changing, she was friends with henry and Gio had been sniffing around her constantly, while she was trying to do everything to get her mind off of Daniel, because nothing seemed to be right. This is how she ended up at henry’s club night, as she had persuaded Daniel to come with her.  
  
She didn’t know why she wanted him there, since it was the exact sort of environment that wasn’t really suitable for a boss- employee relationship. But, that wasn’t them. They were friends.   
  
She got into the dank bar, she guessed henry only chose this place because it was one of the only ones that would let his terrible band play. Betty hadn’t told him as such, she was too polite, but the guy couldn’t sing. She would use Daniel to get the numbers up, even if he hated henry.  
Betty sat at the bar, a glass of vodka and coke in her hands, when she heard someone come up behind her. it was Daniel, and he swiped the glass straight out of her hands.  
  
“hey!” Betty shouted, turning around in her bar seat and nearly crashing to the floor.  
  
“Betty, careful!” Daniel caught her by the upper arms, and hoisted her back onto the seat. He grinned at her.  
  
“Daniel, please can I have my drink back, it cost me $5!” Betty argued back, grabbing her drink from his outstretched arm.  
  
“fine, but should you be drinking? You just had a baby,”  
  
“Daniel, that was months ago,” Betty argued, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at him, while sipping at her drink.  
  
“please don’t fight me, I am just worried about you,”  
  
“I know, but you can’t always be there to protect me! I need to make my own decisions,” Betty said, pursing her lips. Daniel sighed and leant against the bar, watching the room when a very attractive woman came up and tapped him on the shoulder.   
  
“hey, will you come dance with me? I want to make my boyfriend jealous,” she asked, and dragged Daniel onto the dance floor, leaving a very surprised Betty still sitting at the bar. Betty went back to her drink, and watched Daniel dance with the woman. He was clearly doing the same thing as the woman originally intended since Daniel would glance back at Betty every so often. She could play this game too, but that would be too easy.   
  
She knew Daniel hadn’t played the field since Rosa got taken away from them, but now he was doing it just to spite her. she told him to stop being so protective over her, so he went to be irresponsible. Betty sat further back at the bar, watching as henry wandered over to her.  
  
“who is Daniel dancing with?” henry held his own drink in his hand and leant against the bar, in the exact spot Daniel had been before.  
  
“I don’t know,” Betty looked into the bottom of her glass.  
  
“aren’t you bothered by it, you look pretty annoyed,” Betty was annoyed because Daniel was being petty, and it was working. She told him to leave her alone so he goes off and dances (quite proactively) with the literal first girl he meets, and because he is Daniel Meade that girl is pretty.  
  
“I’m fine, I just told him off for trying to take my drink away from me, I don’t need him guarding me all of the time,” Betty huffed, however henry was still staring at her with a scrutinising expression on his face. looked towards the bottom of her glass again, wishing there was more liquid so she didn’t have to deal with the scrutiny of henry… and Daniel, being Daniel.  
  
“right, maybe you can help me then? I need to get the number’s up,” he looked down at his band flier, which Betty had edited, to make it a lot more… appealing.   
  
“you need a new singer,” she sighed, looking at the lead singer, who looked more vacant than the models that inhabited the MODE hallways, complete with a sweater vest and slack jawed expression.  
  
“I think he is great, and who are we going to find. Only about 30 people showed up to watch,”   
  
“why don’t you sing?” Betty almost slipped of her stool in excitement. “I have heard you, you are good at it,”  
  
“Betty come on, I don’t think I could. There are so many people,” Betty looked around the bar and raised an eyebrow. “there will be more, they must have gotten it confused with the bar ‘the bear hole’ next door,”  
  
“oh! I will go and get them back,” Betty said, running out of the door before henry could stop her, it might have something to do with the girl Daniel was currently making out with. Henry focused his attentions on the bar again.  
  
Daniel watched Betty run out of the door, corresponding to the exact minute he kissed the woman in front of him… what was her name again? her ‘boyfriend’ had turned out to be dangerous… and gay. So, Daniel did have a shot, at making Betty jealous. But she spent most of her time speaking to henry, who Daniel hated more than anything.   
  
At least he didn’t still think Betty and henry were dating since he would have made Betty do overtime just to stop her from being around that stupid ass.   
  
The woman in front of him noticed that he was distracted and pulled away from him, before turning away without another word. He knew he really needed to get it together. They couldn’t keep playing these games just for the fun of it, it wasn’t fair to anyone.  
  
He went over to henry, who was awkwardly looking down at a beer spill on the bar.  
  
“hey, have you seen Betty?”  
  
“yeah, she went next door. She wanted to see if she could get any more people here that got confused with the names,” he didn’t look at Daniel. Daniel sighed, it wasn’t because of him, or so he thought. It could have been, but apparently, it wasn’t.   
  
He still went next door in search of Betty, even he was disgusted by the dank bar, but after a quick scour of it he concluded that Betty, thankfully, wasn’t in there.  
  
She had probably gone back to the beer hole instead, instead she was outside, sitting on a railing by the side of the bar. Daniel walked up to her, as she sat hanging her head and not looking at him.  
  
“Betty,” he called out, sitting next to her on the railing, even though he was Daniel Meade and wearing a very expensive suit.  
  
“what is it?” her voice was small and sounded very much like it did when they were discussing what to do with Rosa.  
  
“are you okay? Why are you sitting out here? It is cold,”  
  
“it isn’t cold,” Betty sniffed at him, instead the weather was quite balmy for New York springtime.  
  
“then why are you wearing a sweater?”  
  
“Daniel… we need to sort this out, _us_ out,” she replied, holding onto the peeling red paint of the railing on either side of her.  
  
“I know. We can’t keep doing this to each other,” he admitted, feeling the chill of the metal seep into his hands, while the warmth of Betty was on the other side of him.  
  
“you left that woman you were dancing with to come and get me!” she sighed, nudging him slightly with her shoulder.  
  
“I did think she was hot,” Daniel admitted while Betty frowned then laughed. It could have been the same night on the bridge, before all the… sex.   
  
“well, what are you waiting for?” Betty asked, nudging Daniel again as he smiled at her, getting up from his seat.  
  
“we need to sort each other out first. No more kissing, even if it isn’t on the mouth.”  
  
“but we can still hug?” Betty asked, hugging was her thing, so Daniel couldn’t deny her that. Also, Betty hugs were special, he didn’t know whether or not he could do without them. They made him feel more secure and loved.  
  
“yeah, of course. But, no more moments between us. Professional maybe?”  
  
“Daniel, I am still going to be your friend, okay. Maybe professional is best for us at the moment,” she responded, her voice sounding sadder than normal. She stood up and shook his hand, as he grinned at her.   
  
“I think I can do that, but I will miss you,” he quickly clutched a hold of her hand and squeezed it.

“I never said never, just not now. it is too soon,” she sighed and walked out of Daniel’s way and back into the club. Daniel might as well take the woman he was dancing with home.

* * *

 

  
Daniel didn’t know what to say. Renee had accused Betty of being in love with him, while the harsh reality still remained that he was in love with her. her feelings weren’t certain.   
  
Betty had said that there was still some chance in the future, and she did love him… as he said all of him would always love her, he couldn’t let her down. so, Renee was right in a way, just a way that Daniel didn’t want her to think about. He would have thought that to deter her sister Wilhelmina would have told Renee about his and Betty’s child.   
  
Daniel wondered why she didn’t, instead she made all these obscure references about Renee’s past, not that everyone didn’t have dirty laundry. Wilhelmina herself killed a man at the altar.  
  
But he would avoid enlightening Renee to it, since he did like her. she was funny and had the take charge attitude that was similar to Betty… because he couldn’t get her out of his head. He wanted Betty back, but she was right… it wasn’t the right time. especially if they moved on together, and ended up having more kids, since they already had had one.   
  
They couldn’t do that to Rosa, because Daniel thought that if she ever came back they would welcome her with open arms. Daniel was just hoping for that, he knew that he would always love his first baby girl.  
  
Even if he never got Betty back.   
  
“she isn’t in love with me!” Daniel said with a straight face. he resisted the temptation to say ‘believe me I’ve checked’ instead he just went with the original words of denial… on Betty’s part. He told her how he felt, but she couldn’t reciprocate it in certain terms.  
  
“are you sure? She follows you around everywhere, and she keeps interfering with us,” she waved a hand between them.  
  
“that is what I am paying her to do… and it is fashion week- it is one of the busiest times of the year,” Daniel defended Betty, because no one got away with upsetting her if he had her way.   
  
“she gets in the way, she is trying to sabotage us,” Renee said clearly furious. Daniel sighed, Betty wasn’t trying to sabotage them, although she had been acting weirdly, maybe she was jealous? Daniel tried to ignore the spurt of hope that gave him.  
  
“I don’t think Betty would do that,” Daniel tried to diffuse the situation, however Renee gritted her teeth and stepped closer causing Daniel to reel backwards. “fine, I will talk to her,” Daniel admitted in defeat.  
  
He stepped outside to where Betty was standing, raising her eyebrows at him. he knew that Renee’s possessive behaviour had been annoying Betty, especially when there was the fiasco with his schedule. She asked him to choose, but the unspoken things were the important things. It was a choice between his new girlfriend, sister of Satan and possible psychopath, and the mother of his child.   
  
The odds were in Betty’s favour, but as part of getting over her he had to try again, even if that meant some clashing between them and Betty. Was the tension that obvious?  
  
“hey, Betty, Renee wanted me to speak to you.” he motioned to Renee who was standing in his office, poised in a defensive stance.  
  
“about monopolising all of your time? yeah, she mentioned it. but, Daniel I need to be able to do my job, which is helping you. I know she wants to spend time with you, but I can’t keep having to compromise, because it isn’t me who is doing that, it is the designers,” Daniel listened to her, as she glared at him. he looked mournfully at Betty, wishing he had the guts to say something in defence of Betty, or Renee. He didn’t know whose side he was on?  
  
“I know. Betty, I am sorry, I just don’t know what to do.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Wilhelmina has said some pretty weird stuff about her,”  
  
“Daniel, there are risks with any relationship. But I am not trying to sabotage you and Renee.” She sighed, swivelling around in her desk to get back to her work.   
  
“I will tell her that,” Daniel said nervously and went back into his office, he just wished Renee would see sense.  
  
Daniel slammed the door down, he had never done something quite as heroic in his life, but he didn’t feel the sense of pride that he would have done with any other occasion.   
  
He was terrified, more terrified than he was when Rosa was born, this beat everything else. He was terrified, and it wouldn’t stop. Betty’s life could be in danger. He was the one who was responsible for that.  
  
He had to save her, there was nothing else he could do. But, he finally understood why Wilhelmina didn’t tell Renee about the baby, since Renee might have tried to hurt Betty a lot sooner where he wouldn’t have the sufficient knowledge to help her.  
  
But he did, and he could. He could save his best friend, and the woman he loved. Despite them not being together, he would do anything to help her.  
  
He finally got into his apartment, the door splintering as he hit it. Betty stood in the hallway, holding a fire extinguisher in her arms, as if it weighed a thousand tonnes. She looked weak, defeated- but at the same time so strong, as if nothing could hurt her.  
  
“Betty,” Daniel said, weak with relief as he ran inside his flat and to beside her.  
  
“Daniel, it is okay, I am fine. Renee is in there,” Betty said, pointing down the hall to his bedroom. Instead, Daniel ignored her and scooped her up in his arms. He could hear marc mock retching in the doorway.  
  
“are you okay?” he asked, pressing his face into her neck. Betty struggled against him, writhing to be put down.  
  
“I am fine! Until you squished me!” she said, getting down from his clutches. She smiled at him, and although he could see the tears in her eyes she was okay. Soon the actual firemen, police officers and ambulance crews showed up, and started to fight over who was going to take Renee, meanwhile Daniel sat down next to Betty on the little stool in his hallway.  
  
“I’m sorry,”  
  
“it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know, and I was the one who chose to come here,” she sighed, looking at her watch.  
  
“to rescue me, I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you,” Daniel hugged her tightly again, breathing in the soft scent of her hair. It was going to be hard to shake this one off.  
  
“thank you, Daniel… but I am fine,”  
  
“I still insist you need to have the day off tomorrow,” he said playing the part of the caring boss, not the guy who was still madly in love with his assistant.  
  
“no! who would look after you, silly?” she asked, before they walked out of the apartment at the command of the fire officers who were showing up. Betty watched back at Daniel’s loft. It would be renovated, but Betty would make personally sure that it didn’t have that disgusting mural. She looked at marc who was making a thumbs-up impression and practically drooling over the fire officers.  
  
“where are, you going to stay?” Betty asked Daniel when they were outside. He looked down at her face, wrought with concern, as if he had been the one caught in a fire with a crazy lady. Betty constantly amazed him with how selfless she was. It was one of the things that he loved most about her, as she watched him through her brown doe eyes.   
  
“probably with my mom. I haven’t spent much time with her. Betty, please don’t feel obliged to come into work because of me. you need to relax, you have just had a traumatic ordeal,” he proclaimed. At Betty’s grin Daniel blushed slightly “what? I heard a police officer say that!” he smiled afterwards as she smiled wider at him.  
  
“I am coming into work. You need me there, plus, it isn’t good to dwell on the past, we just need to keep moving on,” she smiled, hugging him tightly before they set off in their shared town car… to different places.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty!

* * *

CHAPTER 3: 2008

* * *

  
Daniel stared at the little French boy sitting in the white leather chairs of his office. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. It was crazy, something he had never expected. So now he had two children, who had until then been out in the world, now this boy, apparently called Daniel Jr. showed up. He felt like the worst father in the world, but that wasn’t the only thing going through his head.  
  
He had doubts that Daniel Jr. or DJ as he liked to be known, was actually his son, despite looking like a younger version of Alexis, and having the Meade taste in women, mainly supermodels. But his other thoughts drifted to Rosa, wherever she was in the world. She might have a big brother, and if he got DJ back then there is every chance that Rosa would, too come back to him.  
  
Getting over Betty was difficult, she had since started to date Gio- which made Daniel hate the stupid greasy want to-be more than ever, he had no right to start hitting on Betty, or even consider dating her. especially when he hadn’t yet got over Betty himself. He could argue that she only just had a kid, but that was a while ago and Betty didn’t need Daniel to constantly remind her of that. He didn’t need to be constantly reminded of that.   
  
At least henry had gone since his girlfriend had had the baby, that afternoon Betty spent several hours in his office, crying, since she missed Rosa so much… Daniel was just glad it wasn’t about henry.   
  
“so, you are my son?” Daniel asked the boy, who nodded. They had a translator come in while Betty was out to lunch with Gio. Apparently, this kid was his son, especially since he had a letter translated from the kid’s mother who had died. It could be a scam, but there were reports of the hand model dying, so to be a scam it was pretty extraordinary.   
  
Still, they were going to have a blood test soon, to find out the results, but Daniel didn’t need one, he knew that this child was related to him. he wouldn’t let that go, Rosa had taught him how precious your own flesh and blood can be. How he would never give that up was also a lesson well learnt.  
  
Suddenly Betty swanned through the door, speaking excitedly about the MODE vs ELLE charity softball game. He had forgotten about that, snapping into listening as she said something about Gio and… Rome? Why was Betty speaking about Rome and Gio, wasn’t Gio’s last name Italian? Daniel hadn’t really listened since the more she said Gio’s name the angrier he got.   
  
“Rome?”  
  
“yeah, isn’t it exciting? But, oh god you are freaking out,” she started to ramble again, looking immensely guilty, and hunched her shoulders down as she tried to explain. Daniel was more concerned about telling Betty about Gio since she got a bit jealous whenever she saw other people have families, since her baby got taken away from her by Wilhelmina, the devil ice queen.   
  
“erm… Betty. This is DJ,” Daniel said, pointing to behind Betty, where DJ was watching with interest. Betty’s eyes went wide and immediately softened.  
  
“why do you have a teenager in your office, and why is he wearing eyeliner?” she asked, as Daniel chuckled, noticing that the little boy, indeed have eyeliner on… and blusher. He reckoned Amanda had captured him at some point.   
  
“he says he is my son, Betty,” Daniel said quietly, not sure whether he wanted Betty to hear him or not. But she did.  
  
She turned around to face Daniel, biting her lip, attempting a half smile. “whoa, Daniel… that is- wow,” she blinked owlishly behind her glasses.   
“Betty…!” he used his warning voice which always got Betty to reveal the truth to him, hopefully not causing her to burst into tears.  
  
“do you believe him?”  
  
“yes, he looks like a young Alex. And he likes all the same stuff as me, also his mother gave him a letter saying I was his dad,”  
  
“right… what does DJ stand for?”  
  
“Daniel junior,” he answered, while Betty smiled slightly, her braces glinting. He smiled too, as Betty turned back to the small boy, speaking fractured French.  
  
Daniel listened, despite not really being able to understand anything, he was just glad betty could speak a bit of French. It was a little better than her Spanish he thought.   
  
She came back over to him in a few minutes, with a massive genuine grin on her face.  
  
“Daniel, that is amazing- you have a son! He is definitely yours by the way,” she beamed at him across his desk, and then sat down opposite him. “so… about Rome, Gio wants me to go with him, but I am not sure I want to. With you and DJ, I just don’t think it is a good time to venture into a new relationship. Also, you never really liked Gio did you?” she asked, looking nervous. Daniel grinned, he couldn’t help but be delighted she wasn’t planning to go to Rome. He hated Gio, even if he did agree with the man sometimes… but he wasn’t right for his Betty- no way.  
  
“what are you going to do then? Did you say yes?” he asked, and Betty looked away a guilty expression painted on her face. “Betty!” he sighed, with a groan of exasperation “why did you do that?”  
  
“he sort-of tricked me… he was teaching me to say yes to stuff, like being in the softball game,”  
  
“is it just me, or does that sound a little bit weird?” Daniel asked, looking at Betty suspiciously.  
  
“what? It wasn’t like that!” she said in an annoyed tone, although she could see that Daniel was laughing.  
  
“okay… what do you want to do instead?” Daniel asked, as DJ came to stand close to him, Betty smiled at them both, before looking back down at her lap and bringing out a picture. She handed it over to him, while Daniel smiled at it. it was a picture of her, Hilda and her mother. Betty was so adorable when she was a little girl, he could imagine that Rosa would look just like Betty when she grew up, a little Betty with blue eyes.  
  
“yeah?” Daniel said, smiling at Betty.  
  
“well, I have been saving up. And I saw this program about inspirational women who do stuff like bike across the country and help others. I was feeling sad about… her,” she took a quick glance in DJ’s direction and Daniel nodded. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell DJ about his little sister when he had only just met Daniel. “anyway, Papi showed me pictures of him and my mom. She wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, but never did, I think it was important that I relieve some of the places that she went to. I think I owe it to Rosa, and… me,” she finished.  
  
Daniel nodded. He knew how important becoming independent was for Betty, and he didn’t want to lose her to Gio or anyone else. She needed to do something for herself, not for him, not for Rosa. She needed to live her life and hope that someday Rosa would come back to them.  
  
“okay… how long will you be gone for?”  
  
“about three weeks, but I am playing at tomorrow’s game,”  
  
“thank you, Betty,” he looked at DJ who was standing next to him. they could still be themselves, regardless of whatever happened. “I have the blood test soon, for the paternity part. Afterwards we are going out to lunch- do you want to come?”  
  


“okay,” Betty smiled. 

* * *

  
Daniel had been kicked out, officially, landing at player with a thump. He didn’t want to be here, but he couldn’t pretend otherwise.  
  
Alexis chose Wilhelmina over him, big surprise. She had to be in control of everything, especially his life. She won the company, she won everything. He didn’t ask Betty’s help because he didn’t want her to watch him lose.   
  
She had gone on her country wide holiday, while he was pushed out of MODE for no other reason that Wilhelmina was a bitch, and everything he tried to do to help save MODE she sabotaged.   
  
He couldn’t tell Betty and ruin her vacation. He couldn’t just ring her up and congratulate her on now working for player, although he was pretty sure she would see it as a demotion. He did call her, slight chats, nothing major as half the time she would be on her break from building houses for the poor, or having a rest stop on her bike ride.  
  
He was so proud of her, she was his best friend, and had done more than he had ever done in his life (despite being almost 10 years her senior) that didn’t stop him being slightly envious of Betty. She had everything so sorted out, and he couldn’t even let her go.  
  
At least he had DJ, who was sometimes a little naughty, and cheeky, but he was his, and no one could take him away from Daniel. he liked having a son, although he felt guilty about not telling DJ about his baby sister. Daniel knew Rosa would be nearing her first birthday now, and was sure she would be as adorable as ever.   
  
he wanted Betty back because that was the closest thing to Rosa, and she was still the love of his life. He had had a couple of flings, but it wasn’t the same. He did it because he felt like it would show Betty he was moving on. he knew that there wasn’t a chance with her at that moment. They both had so much growing up to do, he had way more to accomplish in the maturing department than Betty did.   
  
He thought about emailing her more over their little period of separation, but the sparse calls made him feel more detached from her than ever. It didn’t matter if he would proclaim his love over them, it wouldn’t fix the distance between them.  
  
Rosa had made so many bonds, a universal understanding of how it felt to be without your daughter, but had caused a rift. They could never return to the strict platonic nature of their previous friendship, because Daniel knew that his feelings for Betty wouldn’t wane. He had tried to shake them loose, beginning from that initial night, but that just made things worse.   
  
Every, body in his bed, and every woman that reached up to kiss him were in his mind; Betty. He had even called her name a few times, which somewhat confused his conquests, since he was supposed to be Daniel Meade, imperfect playboy, not lovesick fool.  
  
When Betty did get back, he had just gotten used to life with a twelve-year-old, but as Betty almost immediately pointed out, that it wasn’t the same and he couldn’t just allow DJ to run rampant.   
  
He needed rules, as demonstrated when there was the unfortunate clashing of chocolate on silk. He knew that he had to help his son, but he felt as if he was being a bad father if he yelled at his kid. He didn’t want to be like his father, he was trying so hard to be not like the tyrant that stole his daughter.   
  
He was trying so hard that he forgot how to be the father he wanted to be. He wanted to make sure his kids knew they were loved, no matter what. But, he couldn’t let DJ just do whatever he wanted, like upset Betty- because that wasn’t right. He wouldn’t let Rosa get away with that if she were still with him and Betty, although he was pretty sure he would do whatever she wanted him to.   
  
While he was struggling to be the best father he could things were falling apart with the rest of his family. Alexis had a ruthless business mind, like their father, and while that made her a choice candidate to run a multi-million-dollar company, it didn’t make for the happiest of family homes. And apparently, she saw Bradford in Daniel! that was crap, apart from the philandering, which he had all but stopped… apart from some scarce rendezvous.   
  
Daniel was too distracted by Betty’s disappointment to notice. He understood that she wouldn’t be very happy with him, but she didn’t have to go and work for the devil reincarnate. Especially since the woman practically stole their child.   
  
He didn’t know how Betty could stand to be in the same room as her, Daniel knew she hadn’t forgiven her, but it didn’t stop her from working with her. and it was mostly his fault for being such a failure.  
  
When Betty came back to him, he felt relieved, calmed. Even though things with DJ’s custody lawyers weren’t going so well since his grandparents wanted him back in France, but Daniel knew that having his best friend beside him was sure to help. Even when they arrested him for attempted murder.   
  
But there was something changed, Betty was moving on, and already was crushing on some guy in her building that Daniel wanted to punch in the face, or at least intimidate him. He knew it wasn’t fair to Betty to be this possessive, but he couldn’t help it. she was his best friend and he wouldn’t sit back and let her get hurt.  
  
It didn’t have anything to do with him still being in love with her, and how he was bitter and regretful that she didn’t love him back.   
  
He had struggled for so long to avoid falling in love, especially when Betty came along he was trying not to do it. he wasn’t lying when he said he hadn’t been hurt by a woman who had scorned him. instead he had to live his whole life seeing how his father’s philandering caused his mother to have a breakdown. He wasn’t scared of love, he was terrified of breaking someone’s heart.  He never told women he loved them unless he meant it, since he was determined never to do what his father did to his mother. It was just a shame Betty couldn’t love him back the way he loved her.  
  
He needed to move on, but he promised he wouldn’t leave Betty behind.  
  
Daniel had lost DJ now, it wasn’t fair. But, DJ wasn’t his. And he only found out after DJ’s grandparents had arrived in America to take him back to France. DJ wasn’t his child, he was Alex’s, meaning Daniel didn’t have any right to keep him with him. Daniel lost the custody battle, while Alexis went back to France to be near DJ. That probably did help that she wasn't on the same continent since she had pushed Christina down a flight of stairs, only narrowly avoiding a prison sentence.  
  
Daniel didn’t tell DJ that he wasn’t his father, he didn’t want to see the emotions on the young boy’s face, as much as he didn’t want DJ to see his own. But, Daniel did leave Alexis to fill him in, considering she was now the new mother of DJ. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some detty shippers aren't the fondest of molly, but she is part of the story... but there will be something for the Daniel and Betty lovers in this chapter. The next chapter will also be a continuation from this, since there is quite a bit to cover.   
> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty.

* * *

CHAPTER 4: 2009

* * *

  
Betty looked down at the smiling face of Daniel on the pictures that he told her to print. She didn’t know what to do about the emptiness, and the curling, bitter jealousy in her stomach when she saw molly and Daniel together on that beach. He was showing her the pictures, now; in his office, on a fancy slide show.   
  
Some mean part of her wishes she had leaked the photo’s because she didn’t want to see this, she didn’t want to see two people so obviously in love after so little time of knowing each other.  
  
It was bad enough Betty was fighting Hilda over every single little detail over their father’s recuperation. She wasn’t there for him, she was at a party where she tried to speak to her YETI teacher about becoming her mentor. Betty felt so selfish that she wasn’t there to help Hilda and Justin. She wasn’t there and Ignacio could have died, Betty didn’t think she was ever going to be able to get those thoughts out of her head.  
She was mad at Daniel first and foremost. She didn’t care that he sent flowers, she was still there with him all through his father’s last  
moments, even though she didn’t like the man. But she was upset anyway, it had bypassed Rosa’s first birthday.  
  
She spent the entire day crying in her room, calling in sick so she didn’t have to deal with Daniel pretending to not know what was wrong. She did get a very comforting call from Mrs. Meade who said something very cryptic about adopted children and how hard it must be. Betty understood her sympathy, since she had gone through all the drama with Alexis, who was revealed to be the real father… ahem- mother, of DJ, joining him back in France.  
  
But Betty didn’t know what to say about Daniel and molly. It was clear that they were in love, but it was sickening. Mainly because disguising your feelings was one thing when the person who those feelings in question were directed at was being as mopey as Betty was and ignoring them… or ‘not pushing it’ as Daniel explained. But Betty didn’t like molly since she could see Daniel having a future with her, she could see him moving on.   
  
That broke her heart, since he was wrapped up so much in his new life with molly that everyone else became irrelevant, she had barely spoke to him recently. They hadn’t had one of their special friend chats in ages. She sat on his chaise as he grinned at the pictures on the screen, laughing at moments that he only rarely cared to explain. Betty sat back, feeling crap from lack of sleep and worrying about her father.  
  
She had moved back home, not being able to keep alternating between her house in queens and her apartment. Also, because her apartment was infested by cockroaches.  
  
“so, what do you think Betty?” Daniel said and Betty smiled, somewhat encouragingly. She wasn’t trying to upset Daniel, despite her initial dislike of molly she wasn’t a bad person and seemed to look after Daniel quite well.  
  
She had to go home and fight Hilda about how to take care of their father, even though he had a new nurse. Her father was rebelling against the new nurse- Elena, simply because she tried to help him, without compromise. Ignacio didn’t like that very much.    
  
“they are really cool, you guys look like you had fun,”  
  
“yeah… I can really see a future with her,” Daniel said, and Betty felt her heart sink. She had suspicions that Daniel felt that way about molly, but it still hurt. They had already moved in together after being together for just two weeks. She knew they were dancing around the subject like a pair of idiots, Betty was trying to be realistic. She knew it was wrong to hope that Daniel would wait for her to be ready to attempt a relationship, but there was some part of her that still hoped for it.   
  
“did you tell her about Rosa?” Betty asked, before she could stop herself. Daniel looked a bit taken aback by that question, although he still looked as if he was going to answer it.  
  
“no,” he looked straight into Betty’s eyes and then turned away again. “I don’t think I am going to tell her,”  
  
“what? Ever?”  
  
“I don’t know, it isn’t like Rosa is suddenly going to turn up on our doorstep, is it? I don’t want to chance ruining this relationship,” Daniel admitted. Betty blinked, she couldn’t believe Daniel had just said that. She may be taking it a bit too personally, but it felt as if Daniel was trying to conceal their past. Still, Betty wouldn’t fight him on it. he was still her boss.  
  
“I guess you are right Daniel, it is a big thing to spring on a new relationship. Just be careful, because with what happened with DJ, Rosa could turn up on your doorstep, and then you would have to explain to molly that you had a baby with your assistant.”    
  
“I should probably tell her,” Daniel said, his eyes wide. Betty gave a sarcastic nod.   
  
“still, if you don’t want to ruin it by confessing about Rosa’s existence, then… I wouldn’t risk it,” Daniel saw the hurt in Betty’s eyes when she said that, and immediately apologised.  
  
“sorry Betty! You know I didn’t mean it like that. It is just, I don’t think I can handle another disappointment like what happened with DJ, and I can really see me and molly having a future,” he looked down at Betty, still sitting patiently as if something was going to change.   
  
“it is okay Daniel, I understand,” Betty responded, not wanting to argue any more since there were fires to be put out at home.   
  
“you do? It doesn’t sound like it?”  
  
“Daniel, please. It is fine, honestly. I need to go and do stuff at home,” she argued, sweeping out of his office before he had a chance to reply. Betty got to the elevators, and pressed the button irritably, feeling hot tears sting in her eyes. She knew that Daniel had to move on, like she had been encouraging him to do, since Rosa was born. Before the door actually opened she felt Daniel’s hand on her shoulder, as he spun her around.  
  
“Betty, please… please don’t be mad at me,”  
  
“why shouldn’t I be?” Betty shouted, letting the anger and the frustration that had been building up in the last few weeks wash over her. “tell me, Daniel! why shouldn’t I be mad? Because you completely abandoned me when I was having one of the hardest times of my life, I was there for you when your father had a heart attack- even though I hated the man for taking Rosa away from us!” she yelled as Daniel looked humbled, but still didn’t take the bait of being angry back. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.  
  
“I am sorry Betty, I really am. I didn’t think, and when you told me I was so far away from it all. How would it look if I told molly I had to go back because my assistant’s dad had a heart attack? She doesn’t know us, she doesn’t know about Rosa and all we have been through!”  
  
“it isn’t just that! You forgot her birthday, she would have been one Daniel! and I don’t even know where she is… and then you tell me that she might ruin your relationship! How am I supposed to feel, I didn’t ask for any of this to happen,” Betty cried, actually sobbing into his shirt. Before she knew it, Daniel had picked her up and was carrying her to his office. Betty was put down on his chaise, still not looking at Daniel. she was a mixture between heartbroken-mad- and confused.  
  
“Betty, look at this,” Daniel said, sitting back down next to Betty, as she lay curled up on the chaise. She didn’t raise her head, instead stared down at her green heels. He placed one hand on her arm, coaxing her to look up at him.  
  
“I don’t want to,”  
  
“look,” his voice was firmer and he pointed towards the thing in his hand. Betty looked up, staring at Daniel. she finally opened her eyes, drifting down to what he had in his hand. It was a letter.  
  
“what is this?” Betty asked, while Daniel pressed it into her hands. It was handwritten, and came with a small brown envelope which he also gave to Betty.  
  
“read it,”  
  
 _Rosa,_  
 _This is me, your dad. if you ever come back to us and wonder why we weren’t always here, it isn’t because we didn’t want you, it is because we wanted you so much- but other people made it impossible._  
 _That doesn’t mean we don’t love you, even if you never come back to us, I am sure we will never give up loving you, because you can’t do that. When you truly love someone that will never leave you… that person will become a part of your heart forever._  
 _You and your mom did that, and even, by the time you meet us, we have new families, whether together or apart it doesn’t stop us from loving you and each other._  
 _You would be one today, and I missed you so much, I spent the whole day crying, which may sound silly… but it isn’t. I am glad you are safe and hopefully well, just know one thing: no matter how much has changed since you were born we are always going to have a place for you._  
 _I will tell you a bit about us, I was irresponsible, but your mommy fixed me. she made it okay to show what is on the inside, especially if it beautiful. your mommy is smart and wonderful, and you are probably going to end up just like her._  
 _I will always love both of you, don’t forget that._  
 _Daniel Meade._  
  
Betty looked back at the letter, already feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. Daniel didn’t forget, she wasn’t the only one who spent the whole day crying. She sat up straighter, moving closer to Daniel to pass him back the letter. she wordlessly opened the envelope and examined inside. There was a picture of Rosa, Daniel and her.  
  
“what do you think?” Daniel asked, leaning over so that she could feel the hot breath on her neck. Betty’s senses went into overdrive. She knew what she had to do, since words couldn’t express how she was feeling. She leant over to Daniel, tilting her head so that she could align her lips to kiss him.  
  
Daniel knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t stop kissing her. he knew how it was probably going to end, doing the one thing he swore he would never do. But, it didn’t count. It was Betty, she was part of him. she would always be, molly was just going to have to live with that.  
  
“Betty…” he breathed out, as she was essentially straddling him, the papers cared for as they were lain aside.   
  
“I think this is a good idea,” she said, kissing him again, as they made love, Daniel felt complete and whole… even though he knew that this wouldn’t be regular. He was going to tell molly in the morning, not about this, because it wasn’t going to happen again, but about Rosa. She deserved to know.   
  
Their kisses got more and more passionate, as Betty was lying under him on the chaise, breathing heavily. They were scantily clad as they joined, Daniel praising the curves he had missed so sorely.   
  
When finished, Betty lay beneath him, gathered in his arms. She did not speak, afraid to break the spell they had had so carefully crafted by their lovemaking. The intensity was unparalleled, mainly because of their past, and while they wished it would never end it was time to move on from that.  
  
“Betty,”  
  
“mmm,” they could finally talk.  
  
“what was that?”  
  
“a thank you,” she replied, kissing his collarbone as he looked down at the marks he had made from kissing too hard on her neck. She smiled up at him, Daniel was expecting to feel the waves of guilt, but he couldn’t. it was Betty, he didn’t love molly yet, but he loved Betty with all he had.  
  
“that was an amazing thank you, I am going to tell her in the morning,” while Betty knew who he was referring to, she didn’t know what he was referring to and shot straight up in the chaise, nearly colliding heads with Daniel.  
  
“you’re going to- what? Daniel, don’t tell her about us unless you want her to break up with you, you know this was just a spur of the moment thing,” she said, gathering her tattered clothes and trying to wind them around her again.  
  
“no! not that, Betty. Rosa! I want to tell her about Rosa,”   
  
“oh! Thank god. I was going to say,” she sighed and Daniel chuckled slightly. He took her hand in his, both of their palms were still sweaty from exertion.  
  
“do you want to be there with me?” he asked, while Betty bit her lip in consideration.   
  
“how likely is she to figure out that we slept together,” it was weird how their unison made them go back to normal, but the tension was gone, that feeling of not being able to keep their hands off of each other was gone, since it had been somewhat quenched.   
  
“not very likely, she thinks we are purely platonic.” Daniel replied, while Betty nibbled on her lip.   
  
“okay… so, how are we going to tell her that we had a kid together?” she tried to do the remaining buttons on her jacket up, thankful of her pink puffy coat that would keep her modest. In Daniel’s haste, he had ripped quite a few of the buttons off.   
  
“I don’t know Betty, maybe approach the subject gently. Molly is trying to find out more about my family, and it wouldn’t be long until my mom told her something about the baby,”   
  
“yeah, she was so proud that she has now two grandchildren,” Betty looked at the picture of baby Rosa wistfully, wishing she still had her baby girl. Betty scanned over the letter and then back at Daniel’s sincere expression. “we could show her the picture, maybe not the letter though,” Betty ran her fingers over Daniel’s neat cursive.  
  
“no, the letter is between me, you… possibly Rosa.” He smiled at Betty, reaching for her hand. It seemed like such an insignificant touch compared to what they had just been doing but in Daniel and Betty speak it meant everything.  
  
“we are going to show her the picture, right?” Betty asked, nudging Daniel slightly with her shoulder.   
  
“yeah, I think it is adorable, she is going to look like you- but with blue eyes,” Daniel sighed, putting his own shirt and pants back on.  
  
“I hope she doesn’t get my eyesight!” Betty sighed, looking at the picture. It was her, Daniel and Rosa. She was cradling the new-born baby, while Daniel watched them both. Rosa had her eyes open so you could see the blue, and was wrapped in a blanket. Even though she was only about a day old she still had the curls of black hair that Daniel had wound around his fingers.   
  
“that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, your glasses are cute,” Daniel removed them from her face, and left Betty grasping at them.  
  
“give them back! That… or my teeth,”  
  
“Betty! Listen, you are perfect, okay.” He kissed her again, although it was more sweet than anything else at that point, “don’t worry… molly won’t say anything, she isn’t ready for kids.” Daniel explained, which led to Betty biting her lip. She didn’t know why Daniel and molly had discussed that so early on in their relationship, but he wouldn’t move on without her. if they ever got Rosa back she would possibly be taken into a loving home, a home that would have a place for her.  
  
“right… so, tomorrow?”  
  
“tomorrow,” he confirmed.  
  
Betty stepped off of the elevator, worried about a multitude of things at that point, she didn’t know whether or not molly was going to accept the fact of Rosa. Betty knew that if anyone said anything negative she would be the first to protest.   
  
They were going to be talking about one of the hardest subjects for Betty. She had spoken about it with Christina, who had been Wilhelmina’s surrogate. she had so many mixed emotions about that, especially with Wilhelmina being the mother of the child, look what happened with Nico, if that was anything to go on. at least Christina would be able to properly sympathise with her, she too had her baby taken away by Wilhelmina. Well, she had carried the baby, even though it wasn’t hers biologically, Christina would still sympathise.

* * *

  
  
Betty got to Daniel’s office, they chose to do it before work started, since no one would be in, not even Amanda since she had an apartment and a best friend who lived with her. she kept saying how she didn’t need to come into work at all, and she only did it so that people would be enlightened by her presence.  
  
“Betty!” Daniel called, he was sitting on his chaise with molly, while betty had the pictures. Not the one from his letter, but several of her own, including the ultrasound. At Rosa’s birth, they had all taken pictures of their new baby, even though she wasn’t going to be staying with them for long.  
  
“hi,” Betty nervously stepped into his office, smoothing out her skirt. She didn’t feel like this was one of the places that she knew best in the world. Instead she felt more like a client, she was terrified. Terrified that molly would hate Daniel, and he would blame it on her.   
  
“Betty, sit down,” she sat opposite them on one of Daniel’s uncomfortable white chairs, they were both sat on the chaise, facing her. she felt like she was at some kind of appointment, and judging by the way molly was grasping Daniel’s hand tight she was supposed to be delivering bad news. She didn’t know how she could tell molly, it wasn’t just that, but they were also sitting in the same spot where she and Daniel had made love, only hours earlier.   
  
Betty could feel tears well up again, she didn’t know what  
to do, but there was no way she could tell them. Daniel sat there, with molly, expectant. She was alone, ready to talk about something that always made her cry. She wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t going to cry! She was crying, and it was too late. So, she just walked out of there, leaving Daniel to chase after her.  
  
“Betty! Betty, wait!” he said, reaching her up by the elevator again, he gripped onto her wrist.  
  
“Daniel, please! I can’t do this!” she sobbed, but Daniel didn’t let that faze him, instead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.  
  
“we can, because it isn’t just you who is doing this. I am too, and don’t make another one of our little conversations by the elevator end in sex, because I don’t think molly will be very happy about that,” Daniel reasoned, letting go slightly of Betty, who smiled.   
  
“okay, just don’t both look at me like that. I felt as if I was on my own in there,” she said, wiping at her eyes, where her mascara had run. They went back into his office, where Betty took her previous seat, and Daniel stood behind her. molly looked confused at Daniel’s hand resting on her shoulder.   
  
“molly, we need to talk to you about something,” Daniel said, squeezing Betty’s shoulder tighter.  
  
“yeah?” molly responded, biting her lip and staring at Daniel.  
  
“okay… so you know Betty has been my assistant for nearly three years? Well, we may have been together some of the time,”  
  
“what? When where you going to tell me that! Are you still together?” she said her voice raising in panic. Betty blushed, she thought back to their lovemaking session(s) on that chaise.   
  
“no!” Daniel said quickly, not daring to look at Betty, who looked on the verge of being in between bursting into tears and laughing.  
  
“but we were, and we ended up having a baby,” Betty finally said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.   
  
“a baby? What happened? Do you still have it?” molly asked, her voice flaring. She didn’t seem angry, more, panicked, but Betty still felt awful and started to hyperventilate.  
  
“we don’t. she got adopted when she was only a week old, but we needed to tell you since you are with Daniel, and…”  
  
“will this affect our future?” molly asked, looking at Daniel through confused eyes.  
  
“I don’t know… I just have been speaking with Betty about it, and how it might because I wouldn’t be ready to have kids for a long time,” Daniel admitted, Betty could feel his pressure on her shoulder shift slightly.  
  
“okay… can I ask what happened?” molly asked, her eyes shining with tears. Betty felt awful, she didn’t want to upset Molly.  
  
“Wilhelmina happened,” Daniel said darkly, while Betty bit down harder on her lip.  
  
“what did she do?”  
  
“she put Rosa up for adoption before she was even born because she wanted power over Meade,” Betty muttered.  
  
“how would she do that?”  
  
“she was going to marry my dad at one time, but then she killed him at the altar,” Daniel admitted, looking down at Betty.   
  
“you know what? I think Daniel needs to update you on his family,” Betty nodded, looking amazed. There were obvious reasons why Daniel wouldn’t tell a woman who he was interested in having a future with about his family, because of the murder and sex change, faked deaths, alcoholism, adoption, infidelity… there was so much other stuff that Betty couldn’t think of it all at once.  
  
“yeah… anyway, we had a little girl. She was called Rosa Claire Suarez, and was given to this nice family that couldn’t have children, but knowing my family she will probably show up when we have loads of kids or something,” Daniel reasoned, while molly looked as if she was about to cry.  
  
“erm… Daniel. one of the things I needed to talk about was… us,” Daniel looked at molly and felt as if it had been a long time coming, especially after the fashion show where he ‘did something stupid’ as Betty put it. she may tell him what is happening since Daniel’s little confession.  
  
“oh,” was all he could say, as he moved to molly’s side, Betty watched on, more like an interested party than anything else at that point.  
  
“so, I came to break up with you yesterday,” she admitted, leaning into Daniel’s side.   
  
“you what?” both Daniel and Betty said simultaneously.   
  
“I went to the doctors yesterday, and I got some bad news.  I’m sick Daniel, it’s cancer. I had it before and I beat it, but it is back and it is worse. I put Connor through it years ago, I don’t want to do the same to you, I’m dying Daniel.” she sighed looking down. Daniel looked as if his heart was broken, and Betty didn’t feel right observing the scene.  
  
“why would you think that would make me love you any less?” he asked, kneeling in front of her while Betty’s mind flitted to a much more worrying thing. Had molly seen her and Daniel…? why didn’t she break up with Daniel then? It would have made so much more sense to do it then, when he was cheating on her!  
  
“I don’t know, I just was going to write you a letter. I didn’t want to cause you more pain than was necessary, but when I got here, I saw you and Betty talking,” Betty breathed out, her relief evident.  
  
“right… she was mad at me,” Daniel stretched his face into a fake, terrified smile. He hadn’t inherited the ability to lie smoothly like his father did about infidelity, which, Betty supposed; was a good thing.  
  
“yeah, she seemed it. anyway, I thought about going into the room, to tell you… maybe having Betty there would make it easier. And then… you two started to have sex,” she tilted her head at Daniel, who sprung away from her and at Betty who looked immensely guilty.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is continuing from the previous chapter.   
> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty!

* * *

CHAPTER 5: 2009

* * *

  
“oh, right… molly. I didn’t realise you-,”  
  
“saw that? Yes,” she looked at Daniel, with her eyebrows raised.   
  
“molly, I am so sorry, I really am! I am so sorry!” Betty said, with tears in her eyes as she started to weep. Daniel looked between molly and Betty, having to diffuse two situations at once. He didn’t know whether to help Betty, or comfort molly, who he cheated on… with Betty.  
  
“Betty, please don’t cry. I was coming here to break up with Daniel, and at first I was mad because I knew he didn’t know that I was going to break up with me, but he still slept with you… but I get it now you have explained your history, Daniel wouldn’t just sleep with any random woman? Would he?”  
  
“no!” Betty was quick to reassure her “Daniel wouldn’t do it, because his dad philandered _a lot_ , and I don’t even know why he did it with me, I am so sorry. I came onto him, really, and I didn’t mean to, I was just upset because I thought Daniel had forgotten Rosa’s birthday- it really didn’t  
mean anything, you know what? I think Daniel regretted it-,”  
  
“Betty, enough!” Daniel yelled, causing Betty to sit in stunned silence. He had been trying to get her attention all through the little tirade, but it didn’t work, so he had to resort to yelling.  
  
“Betty, it is okay. It is you, and Daniel needs his friends, even if it in an unconventional way!” she said brightly. Daniel smiled, and looked at Betty.  
  
“that is what I said when we-,”  
  
“Daniel!” Betty said, her eyes wide as she guessed what he was going to say next. He cleared his throat and looked awkward, walking over to beside Betty again. “anyway, molly I am so sorry. Rosa’s birthday was last year, on October the seventh, and she would have been one. I was feeling very depressed, I thought he had forgotten Rosa’s birthday, but he hadn’t… despite forgetting mine,” she gritted her teeth and glared at Daniel, who blushed.  
  
“it is fine Betty, I just hope Daniel doesn’t do it when I am alive, is all,” Betty gulped, remembering her own mother’s battle with cancer.  
  
“can’t you get treatment?” she asked, without thinking. she hated watching her mother go through it, but it did allow her more time with her.  
  
“I can, but there are loads of side effects, and my chances are like 5%,”  
  
“sorry to ask, but my mom died of cancer,” Betty said, looking at the floor, before she noticed Daniel was looking in her bag for the pictures.  
  
“It is okay, that must have been difficult. I just don’t know, I don’t think I want to go through another round of treatment, especially since I have such a small chance of survival,” she looked over at Daniel for confirmation, but he was too distracted by the contents of Betty’s bag.  
  
“shall I get a doctor for you? Daniel told me about this really good one that works in the Meade wing of the hospital.” Betty suggested, reaching into her handbag along with Daniel, who had come out triumphant with the pictures.  
  
“here you go molly, here is baby Rosa,” Daniel said, passing the photos to molly, while Betty scanned her notepad.  
  
“wow,” molly said softly, moving her finger across the photo paper. “this is why I work with kids, I can’t have kids of my own, because of the cancer… but I always wanted them,” she traced her finger over the paper again, while Betty glanced at Daniel, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at molly. Betty gently nudged him with her shoulder, while he went over to molly, and sighed- he too looking at the photographs.  
  
“it doesn’t matter molly, because I still love you… and Rosa might turn up for all we know, because I am sure it wouldn’t take long for her to find out about us, if she even has a fraction of Betty’s intelligence,” Daniel sighed, looking over at Betty proudly. Molly grinned at Betty and Daniel, over how well they knew each other.  
  
“so, I have to go get Daniel here his coffee, and do you want a Danish?”  
  
“yes please,” he handed the photo’s back to Betty, while she walked out of the room. she had YETI later, but that wouldn’t stop the heartbreak from happening. She was pleased that Daniel still thought about Rosa, but it didn’t hurt any less to see him so happy with another person, even if that person was dying. She knew it was selfish and wrong, but she couldn’t help the way she felt about Daniel. but, if he was going to have a relationship then she might have to move on herself. She could start with that matt guy that had been relentlessly following her around.   
  
She didn’t want to hurt Daniel, but she felt as if she deserved a chance at happiness, she didn’t want to take Daniel away from molly since she deserved whatever time she had left to be spent with the man she loved, but Betty knew that she wanted an opportunity at a relationship as well.   
  
The car sped down the busy motorway, turning off onto a side road, as they came back from the holiday. They were arguing, their voices loud, as rain splashed against the windows, beating a rhythm that alternated between irritating and relaxing.  
  
It was the late summer days and the haze of heat had finally broken, leaving thunder clouds looming, and rain pouring upon the dusty English landscape. They had escaped the murky heat of London, changing it for days spent by hills in lodges while they watched the shimmering waters of the lake district.   
  
Perfect family vacation, complete with a very adorable one year old. But as the clouds finally loomed over, and the rain broke the mood turned sour. They alternated between motorways and country roads, avoiding traffic that seemed to accumulate while rubberneckers drifted slowly past, just slowing down the traffic.  
  
“I just don’t think we should ask them!”  
  
“we made an agreement, elise! We said that we would take her because her parents couldn’t look after her,” he said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as they were waiting for the lights at the junction to turn green.  
  
“I know, but then we find out she has 3million in her trust fund! I didn’t even realise she had a trust fund,” she said, looking at her phone, and then back at the baby who was fast asleep in her car seat in the back of the car. Around her on the other seats were blankets, pillows and a freezer box they couldn’t fit into the tiny trunk.  
  
“I don’t think it was set up by the parents,” he said, looking at her as she rolled her blue eyes, and flicked back her hair.  
  
“I don’t know, they seemed to be pretty upset about leaving their baby, they might have given her money to try and support her,”  
  
“I know, but they only made the trust fund for her, not for us,”  
  
“maybe they didn’t trust us,” she suggested, holding onto the phone tightly, and looking between him and the sleeping baby.  
  
“I don’t think it was set up by them, it might be set up by Willi- since she said that her fiancée felt bad about leaving Rosa… so the money might be on that,” they were speeding up through the country roads, it was still day, however late afternoon, where the rain seemed to bring the sky closer to darkness. The roads were slippery with the summer rain that was coaxed from the sky.  
  
She sat in the back, waking up to hear them argue as her eyes blinked watching the oncoming lights that seemed to shine brighter, cutting through their arguing voices immediately.   
  
Betty paced up and down, she was waiting on the news of her promotion, well… she was waiting for the incredibly indecisive Daniel and Wilhelmina to announce who was going to get the promotion. Her… or marc. She wanted to get it, obviously, although some part of her realised that things wouldn’t be the same afterwards. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted this promotion, since she had gotten so close to her dream- only to have it snatched away by Jodi Papadakos.   
  
She couldn’t believe the woman would do that, she was supposed to be her mentor. But she screwed her over, Betty couldn’t believe something like that would happen. Still, she was happy to have Daniel fight in her corner, for everything she did, but she didn’t want to deprive marc of the job. She just wanted her chance in this city, like everyone else.   
  
She had gone to Daniel’s wedding, as one of the guests. She and Mrs. Meade had traded tissues, Betty crying simply because she was a mix between delighted, seeing her best friend be happy, but miserable since she was watching him marry someone else. Mrs. Meade wasn’t the happiest either, simply because she didn’t want to watch her son marry a dying woman and get his heart broken. She wanted Daniel to be happy, but it still hurt because it felt as if he was leaving her behind.  
  
But, he wasn’t. he was trying to fulfil molly’s wishes, of having the perfect wedding and trying to lead some of that life. But it didn’t always work like that, since Daniel knew better than anyone, especially with the amount of times he had been screwed over by people. But after the ceremony she went into the ladies, after watching Wilhelmina smashing plants while people in body paint conversed with people in $2000 suits, and cried.   
  
But, here she was, sitting at her desk as they remained uncertain between she and marc. Betty knew that marc would be the one to enjoy fashion more than her, she also didn’t want to lose Daniel’s friendship, especially with all the recent events, such as molly’s hospitalization on their wedding night. they never even got to have a honeymoon. She could deal with remaining as Daniel’s assistant, but she wanted so badly to move up and on in the world of business.   
  
Like Daniel felt, she was too, not ready to move on with a family life. As deranged as it sounded she wanted to have Rosa back first, or at least see her daughter at some point of her life. Betty turned to the news website, scanning the page as she looked through the stories. She needed to be detached from her own little world where nothing made sense, and every thought she had would be followed by another one that contradicted it.  
  
She was scanning the page, not wanting to know whether or not Daniel was going to come back some time soon, since he had left for lunch nearly an hour ago, Betty didn’t want to know where he was because she was terrified that she wasn’t going to get the promotion. Since molly’s diagnosis and refusal of treatment he had barely been spending any time with her, since molly needed a lot of care while Betty was having an interesting relationship with matt.   
  
He was nice, and sweet… but she didn’t know how to tell matt about Rosa, especially since he seemed the possessive type, and he didn’t like Daniel already. How could she tell matt she had had a child with the man? He got mad at Daniel just for dancing with her, at the man’s wedding for god’s sake. She didn’t know what to think of it. she liked matt for all his little foibles, but when he was possessive and annoying she didn’t like it, and couldn’t just run away. Betty very much suspected he knew about her and henry.   
  
Betty looked down more news articles, one jumping out at her as her eyes scanned the page.  
  
TWO DEAD IN HORRIFIC CAR CRASH, BUT ONE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SURVIVES  
  
Betty kept scrolling on, not wanting to hear about something so depressing, even though she wondered what would happen to their little girl, as Betty wondered what had happened to her own little girl every day. Suddenly Daniel reappeared, and Betty was once again jolted back into the real world.

* * *

  
There was the whir of lights, cutting shadows against the dark sky. She wished they wouldn’t blink, if her brain could even comprehend that. But, if her memories were solid she would wish for something else apart from the memories of this. she didn’t want to remember this. she didn’t want to remember the crash. She wanted to remember her original mother and father, even though the memories didn’t exist and never would for them.  
She still could hope, however, since nothing was set in stone, someday she might be back with them, because there were no hopes of being reunited with who she had been in a car with moments earlier. Someone lifted her from the wreckage, the owner of the flashing lights perhaps, since they hadn’t stopped.

She didn’t know what was going to happen to her, as she was passed around other’s arms. She didn’t like the barrage of smells, and sounds, but listened anyway, even though most of the words didn’t make any sense.

“what is going to happen to her?”

“they had her birth certificate,” another voice said, shocked. Someone waved a paper in her face. Rosa fussed at the sound of it flapping in front of her eyes.

“it says she would be put into care of Jane Herman,”

“is this legally binding?” another person yelled. Rosa squirmed in the person’s arms as she panicked. She felt herself moving, as the person moved her around in her arms.

“maybe this isn’t the place to talk about this?” someone else said, their voice rough against the stillness of the air. She doesn’t want to be in the cold, even as they wrap her in blankets and swaddle her. she can hear everything, even as the memories are disjointed and aren’t real to her. however, everything else is real, including the shouts of numbers that wouldn’t have any prevalence in her life until later.

For now, she only knew another chapter of her life.

* * *

  
Betty sat down at her new desk, seeing matt having taken the promotion as managing editor at MODE.  She didn’t know why he did that, although it may have had something to do with henry coming back into town. He and henry managed to be civilised, although matt was trying to be certain that she had been with henry before. Betty hadn’t, she had used his friendship, although Betty and henry both knew that henry would want something more. it didn’t happen, it couldn’t. those wounds were still too raw at that time.  
  
But matt didn’t take the job just because he wanted to keep an eye on her. it was payback. A petty payback style suited to a spoilt rich boy, as Hilda had so delightfully put it. Hilda had also expressed how it was her own fault for not telling matt about Rosa, while he had to find out through the medium of an over protective Daniel, who was close to interrogating her about the whole henry debacle. He came to the city with his new girlfriend, went to a game with her and matt, before matt got mad since he thought there had been something between him. Betty blamed Daniel for interrupting and asking very rudely why the hell henry was back. She was practically seething at all of them. Daniel knew henry was just her friend, not in the way she and Daniel were just friends, however.   
  
She had questioned Daniel why he had acted so possessive, especially since he had a wife, who was dying, although they didn’t know when that would be. But that didn’t mean matt had to take the job just to spite her, even though he claimed it was to monitor her while Daniel was still here. She didn’t need monitoring, she wasn’t some kind of naughty child. She was a grown woman and could make her own decisions. But, for all the stupid things matt had done she still loved him.   
  
She had just got her new job, and was certain that she was going to enjoy this promotion, but with matt making things difficult, and the look on marc’s face… Betty wasn’t sure she was going to enjoy this promotion. But she could focus on the good things, such as Daniel’s wonderful speech at the MAMA awards, and how he had been looking at her the entire time. that he thought he was seeing molly standing behind her was irrelevant, since Daniel did get quite nervous when public speaking- a bit daft when you were a Meade, and it was primarily your role for your family.   
  
Betty sighed, letting her head fall back against the chair, when the ping of her phone indicated a text message with a beep that broke the still silence. It was Daniel. she wondered what had gone on that was so important for him to text her at this time, especially since they weren’t as close as they had been since his wedding. She looked at her phone and at the three simple words on the screen   
  
-I need you  
  
That was all Betty needed for confirmation to go and help Daniel. she found him helpless, alone outside of molly’s building. She sighed, the worst had truly come, but he still had her, and she wasn’t going to let go of one of the best relationships she had had in her entire life. She wasn’t going to let him go, not yet anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty.

* * *

CHAPTER 6 2009

* * *

  
The Bahamian waters sparkled beyond the confines of the hotel and the disastrous fashion shoot, where only a small time of being Wilhelmina’s assistant had already made her go near insane. She didn’t know how marc did it all the time. Daniel was enjoying a relaxing vacation after being sucked into a cult.  
  
It wasn’t his fault, and no one could blame him, although they did laugh at him quite a lot. Betty didn’t, she knew how awful loss can be, and it was made worse with the fact everyone was laughing at you. she loved Daniel, that no one could ever deny, and she would have happily done whatever it took to rescue him. she was just glad to have her friend back.  
  
Suddenly, she felt someone move her backwards, her mind flitted it to being possibly matt, but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. she had raced down a waterslide for him. if Betty was being honest it was to prove a point. If Amanda didn’t want him so badly she would have never done anything of the sort. But, it was always a competition with her, when it came to her love life.   
  
She knew that her only real relationship after Daniel was matt because she would be forever comparing them to Daniel. but, matt she managed to keep onto since he was similar to Daniel in some ways. He was rich, childlike and neurotic. Maybe some of the traits that she didn’t like most in Daniel, but that couldn’t be helped. She missed her friend, even when he wasn’t in level seven land.   
  
She finally looked around to be faced with the grinning face of Daniel.  
  
“took you long enough! What were you waiting for?” he said, his grin more crooked than anything at that point. A sign that Daniel was either pleased with something he had done or horrendously embarrassing. She turned around, wishing she had time to change out of her wet clothes so they didn’t stick so closely to her body.  
  
“I didn’t know who it was,”   
  
“were you waiting for it to be matt?” Daniel asked, Betty nodded, biting her lip. “is that why you are drenched, and fully clothed?”  
  
“yeah,” Betty admitted.   
  
“what happened? Did you get back together with him? because I thought we both agreed he was a jerk,” Betty and Daniel had participated in a major catch up chat after rescuing him. Daniel had been adamant that matt was an entitled jerk and didn’t deserve her, it wasn’t enough to make her change her mind, or miss Daniel even more.  
  
“me and Amanda raced down a waterslide for him,”  
  
“you did what? Betty! He isn’t even worth racing down a street for!” Daniel seemed appalled, although Betty could see a glimmer of a smile at the hilarity of why Betty would do that.  
  
“Daniel, please! I still…”  
  
“love him? you have said it before, Betty. But I don’t like the way he treats you,” Daniel said, his tone of voice changing to protective. Betty smiled shyly at him, knowing where most of those conversations led. Where Daniel ended up berating matt because he didn’t treat her properly. Daniel knew that matt wasn’t the worst guy in the world, but it didn’t mean he was right for Betty.  
  
Daniel saw how he expected her to be humble to him, simply because she had kept the news about Rosa from him. Daniel was a bit annoyed that she never told matt until the last minute, when their relationship was already on the rocks, even though she had made him tell molly. Some part of him was pleased that Betty didn’t think of her and matt’s relationship lasting long enough to warrant her telling him.   
  
“I know, maybe I should… I don’t know Daniel,” she bit her lip, while Daniel put his arm around her and led her to the bar beside the poolside. “Daniel, come on… I am supposed to be working, for _Wilhelmina,_ ” Betty emphasised, while Daniel grinned and pushed a drink over to her.  
  
“Betty, don’t forget, I am also an editor in chief, plus, I am a Meade- I think my vote about letting my best friend have fun might overrule Wilhelmina’s. so please relax. You deserve it too, you did rescue me from a cult,” Daniel grinned, while Betty bit her lip.  
  
“I don’t know, Daniel… I am here doing a job, and aren’t you here supposed to be getting laid?” Betty said, which Daniel wasn’t expecting so he spat his scotch all down himself when he heard her say that.  
  
“erm… what did you just say? Am I hallucinating?”  
  
“no, you aren’t, just I thought that is what you are trying to do,” she shrugged innocently, while Daniel resisted the temptation to laugh. He couldn’t believe that his innocent little Betty had said that.   
  
“yeah, well… I may have employed the help of marc,” Daniel admitted, while it was Betty’s turn to spit out her drink.  
  
“marc? Is… is there something you need to tell me?”  
  
“no!” he blushed, and Betty grinned. The only two people who had been known to make Daniel Meade blush where her and his mother, something she took very seriously. “he was trying to help me get the attention of this girl, Suzanna or something,” Betty rolled her eyes at Daniel’s inability to even remember the girls name. “apparently, girls find it hot when guys are down with what marc called the pink team,” Daniel chuckled.  
  
“really? How did that work out?” Betty asked, looking concerned at Daniel. Daniel never normally acted so artificially cheerful unless something was wrong. He did it all the time, since Meade men were notorious for not expressing their emotions… it usually ended up being the opposite.   
  
“it didn’t… I got the girl, just not all of me was into it,” Daniel looked at his feet, while Betty blinked. Poor Daniel, he had _never_ had that problem before, so why… now? Betty knew it might be too soon, but when he was getting over her he still went out, that was part of how he tried to get over her. but, refusing to date someone wasn’t the same as a spouse dying, although he had known molly for less time than they had been together.  
  
“oh, are you okay?”  
  
“yeah, it was embarrassing that was all,” he looked down at the remainder of his scotch in his hands, as he twirled the glass in-between his fingers.   
  
“is there anything I can do?” Betty asked, feeling as if she should be there because Daniel needed someone, she was his best friend, confidant, and occasional lover. Maybe she could comfort him in more ways than the strict platonic-ness that they had forced themselves into with molly’s arrival, apart from that one night.   
  
Rosa was two years old now, only a few days, past it, and she loved her daughter more than anything still, even if she didn’t know her. Betty knew that it didn’t work the way she imagined it, where with each day it would become harder and harder to find her. but that wasn’t the case, she wasn’t missing or lost, she was safe. She was adopted, and all it would take was a small bribe on Wilhelmina’s part to get their baby back.  
But they couldn’t do that, they couldn’t take her away from a family that so desperately wanted her, it wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair. It was one of the things that Daniel and she discussed following his father’s death, and Wilhelmina’s termination from any ties to the Meade  
corporation. They had discussed getting their daughter back, even though they felt morbid talking about getting their daughter back after his father had just died. But, they couldn’t do that, they couldn’t take away a child from two good people that had been looking after her longer than Betty and Daniel ever got to hold her. they couldn’t take her away. Although they hoped that Rosa might come back to them, even if it was for a day trip.  
  
“it is okay, Betty. You have helped me more than anyone else recently,” he leant his shoulder into her. Betty still didn’t know whether or not it was a good idea, simply because he was still getting over molly, while Betty didn’t want to reopen that door just yet. She knew that Daniel had been hung up on her for ages after Rosa was born, but seemed to get over her with molly, although he was insistent that he would always love her. maybe she could help him get over molly, but putting into effect the phrase that Amanda pulled out in the best and worst of times. She wasn’t going to repeat it, but her plan would be beneficial for Daniel if it was correct.  
  
“well, I was thinking of helping in a certain way,” Betty corrected, smiling at Daniel. she wasn’t good at flirting, and Daniel was somewhat drunk… but he still seemed to get her meaning and beamed at her, as if he had just walked into a candy store.  
  
“really? Are you coming onto me?” he asked, almost falling off his seat in anticipation,  
  
“maybe,” Betty bit her lip. Daniel groaned.  
  
“uh, don’t do that with your lip, you have no idea how crazy that makes me,” Daniel groaned and put his head in his hands. Betty laughed her genuine laugh that made Daniel feel warm inside, as it had always done.  
  
“yes, I do. We have dated before, you would feel tempted to jump me,” Betty smiled at him, moving her legs to brush against his, even though her pants were still wet. She watched Daniel’s eyes widen when she said that, and repeated her actions.   
  
“I, um… Betty. I don’t think it would be wise to do this, I mean you are still in love with matt, and I don’t want to get my heart broken, okay.” He said, while Betty looked away. She hated it that she couldn’t be with someone without there being so much baggage. It was such a big deal for her to be with a man, even though there were a couple of times it had been spontaneous, but only with Daniel.  
  
“why can’t it just be for one night?” she asked, too, looking at her feet.  
  
“I have worked so hard to get over you Betty,”  
  
“but, Daniel, why do you need to get over me?” she asked, afraid that she already knew the answer to that, and being deliberately ignorant wasn’t going to help anyone.  
  
“because, you said we couldn’t happen,”  
  
“then! We have changed,” she argued, resisting the urge to just lunge across and kiss Daniel.  
  
“I know, and you are in love with matt, and I have just gotten over you Betty, do you know how long it took?” Betty pursed her lips, knowing it was close to two years, but she didn’t want to make it more obvious to Daniel that she knew the answer.  
  
“yes, I just want to help you get over molly,”  
  
“okay, just one night. because, I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to be playing these games again,” Daniel suggested, as he held Betty’s hand in his own and kissed it.  
  
“you’re right. You seemed to be coping with one night pretty well last time.” Betty argued, even though the deal had been sealed.  
  
“okay, Betty. I just am quite vulnerable right now,”  
  
“you know I would never take advantage of that, I just think it might be helpful. You came here to have a fling, didn’t you?” Betty asked, looking through the crowds that were dancing by the pool, even being able to see the beginning of the shimmering ocean. The warm breeze was enough to give a certain magic to the air, as Daniel hopped off his barstool, and came over to her.  
  
“you know, I think you are right,” he whispered against her cheek before kissing her. Betty was lost instantly in his kiss, even though he tasted like scotch which she hated. All thoughts of matt and Amanda drifted out of her head as she kept on kissing him, vaguely aware that she had now wrapped her legs around his midsection, while his own hands sought out her curves. Daniel eventually pulled away from her, panting somewhat, while Betty blinked with the sudden shock of arousal. “do we need a room?” Daniel asked, while Betty giggled.  
  


“I really hope so,” she felt so different, even though their flirting had been awkward in the beginning, it got easier. Daniel kissed her again, pulling her off the stool, and tugging her along by the wrist to go and get a room.

* * *

  
Betty found herself glad things hadn’t gone differently, she liked being with Daniel, because, as much as she still had feelings for matt she did love Daniel, and some things would never change. But, it was only for one night, while Betty hoped she could deal with that, she was worried about Daniel.   
  
He was still healing from the death of his wife, whereas she was trying to get matt back Daniel was trying to get over molly. She didn’t regret sleeping with him again, but she did regret her timing, she wouldn’t break his heart again, because that wasn’t fair. She didn’t have the time or the will to toy with people’s hearts.  
  
Daniel knew what he was getting himself in for, but they were both adults, they could deal with it. Daniel was fragile, she was trying to prove a point that she could move on, only she had just ended up going backwards.  
  
That is how she found herself practically avoiding Daniel for the last day of their vacation, that was more of a work holiday for her. she did her job, got shocked senseless by a topless Wilhelmina, then chased after models who were being restrained from doing anything even remotely related to having fun.  
  
Then it was night, and she had gotten wind of how it went with Amanda and matt. Matt was in love with her! Betty still felt strangely elated, but there was something that gave her a sinking feeling in her heart. She wasn’t sure she wanted matt back now, after being with Daniel, but Daniel had moved on… that afternoon in fact, with Amanda. Betty tried to convince herself she wasn’t jealous, and one night wasn’t enough to reignite their passion, especially knowing it wasn’t wrong since they weren’t cheating on anyone.  
  
But she couldn’t kid herself forever, that is why she was somewhat relieved when matt showed up, since she could convince him. it was easier that way, he wasn’t expecting anything else. It still didn’t stop her from nearly calling out Daniel’s name later that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own ugly Betty!

* * *

CHAPTER 7: 2009

* * *

Betty looked down at the bagel in her hands and quickly dropped it. she and Daniel had properly spoken since the Bahamas fiasco. Marc had been the one to tell Betty Daniel had gone off with Amanda, probably as ongoing payback for stealing his job, even though they both knew that it was a toss of a coin that had sealed their fate. Betty was still mad at Daniel for agreeing to that, since she couldn’t believe Daniel would do something that heartless, Wilhelmina… maybe, but not Daniel!  
  
Betty suspected Daniel was still annoyed at her for going back to matt, whereas she was mad at Daniel for going back to Amanda, especially with their history, but he and Betty had a far more complex relationship, and it was okay for them to have flings?  
  
“sorry, I just have been feeling queasy all morning, and suddenly I am really hungry,” she said, wiping her hands. “I will go and get my own,” Betty hurriedly said, her face turning red with embarrassment, although she wasn’t quite sure why. She stole Daniel’s food all of the time, but this time around Daniel seemed to be annoyed about it. he had never been before. maybe he was still mad at her for sleeping with matt?  
  
Betty looked back at Daniel, marc and Mr. Hartley, one good thing to come out of the trip to the Bahamas was marc’s release as Wilhelmina’s gofer, to be Daniel’s instead. That was good since Daniel treated his assistants well, Betty supposed marc did deserve that.  
  
She went back to her desk, where she held her head in her hands, still feeling awful- however she didn’t want to make a big deal over it. there was enough going on with her strained relationship with Daniel, that came from too many awkward moments since she couldn’t look at the man and not see him on top of her, looking into her eyes and panting. It was making her weak in the knees even thinking about it, even though she knew it was wrong.  
  
Daniel and matt had never really gotten on, which made sense after all the Meade/Hartley drama, but ever since matt broke up with her things had seemed so much worse. He said he forgave her for not telling him about Rosa, but she hadn’t spoken about it, she didn’t want to. She was worried that the more she discussed it, the easier it was to accidentally admit that she never told him in the first place because she didn’t see them having a future. Betty always believed that she and Daniel would be together in the end, but now it was seeming more impossible. Daniel had told her that he would always love her, but he had just gotten over her, so maybe that wasn’t a good idea for them to be together again.   
  
Betty knew it was selfish to just chop and change, to constantly want something else when she was with someone other than Daniel, but not be with him because she was afraid of breaking his heart. She came to MODE: determined, and underconfident. She came adamant that she  
wanted to improve her career, and not expecting any romantic conclusions, especially after the whole Walter fiasco. She didn’t think she wanted romantic relationships, she wanted to fulfil her dreams of running a magazine. That is why she could be professional, and matt could still exist in her life… just not be the centre spread any more. she had neglected her dreams for Rosa, for Daniel to some extent as she would do anything to help him, and most of it wasn’t at aid for her job.  
  
She had to think of herself, and her family. She thought she could do it last year, get a new apartment, focus on her career, do stuff for her and for her family, but it morphed into so many different things that she couldn’t control most of it any more. there were things she knew should be different- but she didn’t want them to change, like when Daniel cheated on molly with her, and there were things she wished would be different, but she couldn’t go back and do anything to prevent them.  
  
Daniel sat in his chair, after talking to Hartley. God! He really hated the Hartley’s, Sr. or Jr. was irrelevant since matt as an ass and his father was practically the devil, who was sleeping with his mom.  
  
But there was something going on with Betty, who seemed to be really on edge, and eating his food- which he wouldn’t usually mind, but he was still mad at her for going back to that jerk matt! He was jealous, but he didn’t regret another night of passion with Betty. He did miss waking up to see her sleepy head on the pillow, with her long dark hair spread out, and tickling his chin.  
  
It was just coincidental that he slept with Amanda, she was there and what everyone expected his type to be, plus the last time they slept together she wanted to be so much more than casual, it would be nice for someone to want him for a change, instead of him pining after Betty when she was in love with another man.   
  
It would have been okay if Rosa was still with them, maybe they would have been a proper family then? Having Rosa showed Daniel how much he wanted to have children, but not until after they had seen Rosa to make sure she was okay. What Daniel was afraid of was not having a family, but instead he was afraid of not having any room for Rosa when he had moved on. Betty said she couldn’t be in a serious relationship with him because it wouldn’t be fair to Rosa, for them to just move on and forget her. molly had had a similar complex before she died, she was terrified of being forgotten, but it was different with Rosa. She was simply not with them, she wasn’t gone forever.  
  
Daniel was confused why they thought they were going to get Rosa back eventually, because many parents didn’t, they simply accepted that they would eventually find her again. things didn’t often work like that, but there was always hope. They weren’t asking for her back in their life, instead they were asking to know if she was still safe, and with people who loved her.  
  
He thought back to the times where he and Betty had been actually together, where he would wake up in the morning, at the times he had stayed over at her at her house, feeling her pregnant belly, while cooing softly to her and hoping the morning sickness would pass. …morning sickness, and then eating everything in sight before throwing it up again. he needed to go and find Betty.   
  
Daniel got up out of his seat, almost tipping his chair over before running towards Betty’s desk. He needed to ask her, because they had slept together, and it had already happened once. But, there was the problem of matt, who might also be responsible, and he couldn’t let matt much around with Betty’s heart any longer, especially if she was in her own predicament.   
  
She was at her desk with her head in her hands, not noticing him getting up before she could turn away since they had been avoiding each other since returning from the Bahamas.  
  
“Betty,” he crouched down next to her and whispered into her ear, not wanting to freak her out. “I need to talk to you,”  
  
“huh?” she asked, snapping her head up “why?”  
  
“erm… there is something I want to ask, maybe we can take an early lunch to discuss it?” he said, pulling her up by the hands. Betty looked at him nervously.  
  
“Daniel… what is going on?” she responded, letting him pull her towards the elevators after she had grabbed her coat.  
  
He waited until they were outside in the blustery New York winter air to speak. “I just thought of something, when you were eating my bagel,” they were standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the town car that was going to take them to lunch pull up.  
  
“are you mad about that? I said I was sorry, also we eat each other’s food all of the time,” she argued, slipping into the town car and sliding along the seats with Daniel. Daniel thought it might not have occurred to Betty, since she wasn’t normally the type to dwell on something that could potentially cause quite a bit of trouble. She was his queen of optimism after all.   
  
“no, I’m not mad at you Betty,” all feelings of resentment towards matt melted away since he and matt were now in the same boat.  
  
“what is going on then?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. Daniel didn’t know how to pose the question, but it seemed unrealistic that he would have thought to tell her before she figured it out herself.   
  
“erm… are you pregnant?” he asked, turning his head away as if she was about to explode in anger for suggesting something so preposterous.   
  
“what? How could I-, oh!” Betty came to the realisation, her eyes wide as she gripped the bottom of the seat. Daniel watched her as she turned increasingly white.  
  
“yeah, that is why I took you out of the office, simply because I didn’t want you to have to think about it all day, also, I wanted to know,”  
  
“uh, huh. Can we go to a pharmacy please?” Betty asked the driver, who immediately responded to her request.  
  
“shall I go in, to buy it… or?”  
  
“you are not going in!” Betty said firmly, raising her eyebrows at Daniel.   
  
“why not?” he asked, sulkily, he wanted to be there to help her if she was pregnant. He had already been through this drama once with her, but this time it was more complicated with the addition of matt into the mix.  
  
“because you are Daniel Meade, if you go anywhere near a pregnancy test the press will be all over you,”  
  
“yeah, good point. So, which one? In queens?”  
  
“no, let’s go to one in Brooklyn, the one in queens is also a shop so my dad might be shopping there, I can’t afford him to see us,”  
  
“yeah, I am really surprised the first time he didn’t get angrier,” Daniel said, biting his lip and smoothing out his collar.  
  
“I think that is because he saw how sincere you were, but I don’t think he would forgive you a second time,” Betty gasped, she couldn’t believe they were in this boat again, only she wasn’t sure if it was Daniel’s child or matts. She would prefer it to be Daniel’s child, but she didn’t want to pregnant. She had to concentrate on her job and moving on. it wasn’t the right time for another child, even though she was sure she wasn’t going to get Rosa back.  
  
“you might be right about that, but do you want to come to mine to take it,”  
  
“in your late wife’s bathroom, no thanks,” Betty said. Daniel was still staying at molly’s even though he had packed up most of her stuff.  
  
“yeah… what about your place in queens?”  
  
“we could, but I don’t want to have Papi be suspicious.”  
  
“why don’t I come, I could help your dad and distract him?” Daniel suggested gallantly, sliding his hands across the cool leather of the seat to grip onto Betty’s.  
  
“good idea,” she sighed as they pulled up to in front of the pharmacy. Betty squeezed Daniel’s hand and then got out of the car, clutching her purse. Daniel grabbed her hand again pulling her back.   
  
“here, I want to pay for it,” he pressed some money into her palm, and smiled “get two,” he sighed, smiling at Betty even though she looked as if she was about to cry.   
  
They got back to queens, Betty clutching the be-sure to her chest while Daniel stepped out of the town car. She raced up the stairs the minute they got in while Daniel stood in her hall awkwardly. Ignacio stepped out of the kitchen, holding a steaming pan of something that smelt delicious.  
  
“Betty- Daniel, what are you doing here,”  
  
“I… erm, took Betty home, she wasn’t feeling so well,” Daniel’s words were punctuated, by Hilda running into the house, a white plastic bag swinging from her arm as she ran up the stairs, not even bothering to look at them. They heard her banging on the door to the bathroom, while Ignacio led Daniel into the kitchen.  
  
“is Betty okay?”  
  
“yeah, I just didn’t want her to have to be at work and be sick,” Daniel bit his lip again while Ignacio shrugged.  
  


“you are a good friend Daniel, why don’t you help me make dinner?” he asked, winding his hand around Daniel’s shoulder. 

* * *

  
Betty sat in the bathroom, waiting for the result when she heard the pounding on the door that was coming from her sister. Betty quickly put the stick at the back of the toilet while she stepped out of the bathroom, being silent as she waited outside for Hilda to be finished. When she finally was, betty ran back into the bathroom, checking hastily at the back of the toilet tank, to find it had fallen down. Betty quickly crouched and retrieved the stick. It was positive. But a loud knock jolted her back to reality, while she dropped the stick again.   
  
This was it, she was pregnant again, she couldn’t do this again. she couldn’t do this to Daniel, especially if she wasn’t sure whether or not it was his child or matts.  
  
“sorry I took so long, Hilda,” Betty said, leaving the bathroom, before heading back into her bedroom again. she sighed, sitting on her bed and resisting the temptation to curl up in the foetal position. she wanted Daniel, but he was downstairs while her father was probably giving him a cooking lesson. She couldn’t just go downstairs and interrupt with that massive bombshell. She sat on her bed and cried, solidly for a good few minutes, until she heard a knock on the door, it was Daniel. he stepped inside her room, smiling at her until he saw the look on her face.  
  
“uh, oh! Are you?” his voice softened. She nodded, while Daniel went over to her, sitting on the bed and pulling her into his arms.  
  
“Daniel, I don’t want to be!” she cried into his shirt, the tears already streaked across her face.   
  
“I know,” was all Daniel could say, gently rocking her. they heard more people arrive, but Betty didn’t move from his arms and instead stayed curled up and perched on his lap.  
  
“Daniel, why does this always happen?” she pulled her head away from him, looking at him through tear swollen eyes.  
  
“I don’t know about always, although we mostly slept together when you were pregnant,” he grinned slightly at Betty, finally coaxing a smile out of her.  
  
“okay, wise guy,” she gave him a slight slap on the wrist. “I don’t want to go down there!” Betty said as soon as she heard the shouts of people calling her name from down the stairs. Matt and Archie had arrived, and were making their presence’s known.   
  
“you don’t have to go downstairs, go to sleep and I will just say you were sick,” Betty snuggled up to Daniel, placing her hands on his legs, but unaware of how the position of her straddling his lap could look quite sexual, if she wasn’t crying.   
  
“no!” she got off his lap, and straightened her clothes, then putting on her glasses. “I need to do this, I just won’t tell anyone else,”  
  
“okay, brave girl,” he stood up with Betty smoothing out her hair and brushing it away from her eyes. They stepped out of her room and came down the stairs, to have the staring faces of matt, Archie, Hilda, Ignacio and what Betty assumed to be Ignacio’s new lady friend looking at them.   
  
“Betty, what is going on?” matt asked, while Betty shifted on her feet and walked over to matt, sitting beside him. Daniel sat next to Ignacio.  
“she didn’t feel well,” Daniel interjected, while matt mumbled something that sounded like ‘she can speak for herself under his breath’ he wouldn’t say it out loud in front of so many people, especially since Betty’s family liked Daniel a lot more than him.  
  
“yeah, I didn’t feel so good, so Daniel was helping me out,” Betty whispered, while Hilda tried to distract everyone from matt and Betty who  
looked as if they were about to have an argument.  
  
“right…” matt drew out a breath, while Betty looked as if she was on the verge of tears.  
  
“Betty!” Hilda’s voice cut through the uncomfortable silence that had settled into the wake of Daniel and Betty’s arrival. Betty eagerly jumped up and followed Hilda upstairs.   
  
“what is it?”  
  


“I’m pregnant,” Hilda said, as they reached the top of the stairs.

* * *

  
Betty wasn’t pregnant, it was official as she looked at the little blue minus sign on the test. It was easy to pretend she wasn’t relieved, for matt who had walked in while she was discussing it with Hilda after the stick mix up. When matt dropped the stick in its box onto the floor, and when bobby arrived they didn’t talk about it, at least no one acknowledged that Daniel could be the father.  
  
There was a reason why it was so easy to pretend was because there was some part of her that was disappointed, it was like losing another baby, even though it never really was. It was because she had spent half an hour crying into Daniel’s shirt, it seemed wrong to be happy about it, it just wasn’t right. When all was, over Betty sat back on the couch, having just witnessed Hilda crying into her saint candles. Daniel was the last man standing, all the other’s having gone home, but he stayed while her father cleared up and Justin ran upstairs to watch television in his room.  
  
Daniel collapsed onto the couch next to her, a beer in his hand, sipping from it. he knew, she just didn’t know how he felt. “do you want some?” he offered, smiling at her. Betty swallowed, pulling a pillow up to her chest. She had pretended to matt that she was sad about it, but she wasn’t. she was relieved.   
  
“no thanks,”  
  
“I know you hate beer, I am just teasing,” he nudged her shoulder, while Betty looked down at the ground. Tears streaked down her face at the thought. She felt Daniel’s arms around her, pulling her against his warm body as he kissed her cheek. “sweetie, don’t cry. I didn’t think you would be sad,”   
  
“I don’t know what to feel, I just don’t want to feel like this,”  
  
“what do you feel?” he asked, taking on the voice of Betty when she was trying to be a psychotherapist.  
  
“I want her back, I miss her so much… and I didn’t like the thought of having another baby, but I don’t like it that they don’t exist,” Betty sobbed into Daniel’s arms, eventually falling down so that her head was resting against his stomach as they lay down on the couch.  
  
“I know, I don’t like it that they don’t exist,”  
  
“even if they weren’t yours?” Betty asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
“even if they weren’t mine, they would still be a part of you. and I love you,” he kissed her cheek again. Betty let her head rest properly against his stomach, taking off her glasses before rubbing her eyes.  
  
“I know,” she knew that they might never be Daniel and Betty again, in the way that everyone thought they would, neither in the way they hoped. Not now, anyway.  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of part 2, part 3 is where it all starts to come together for them, with a lot of drama on the way. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Ugly Betty.

 

* * *

CHAPTER 8: 2010

* * *

  
LONDON! LONDON! Daniel knew that he shouldn’t have sent Betty on that stupid trip to London, but if he knew that she would end up taking a job there then he would have personally locked betty in her family’s house. He couldn’t believe she would do something like this without consulting him first, even when they had repeated the spiel about not needing each other about a hundred times.  
  
It was him, she didn’t have to keep things from him, even if he would be angry. He didn’t know when she accepted it, but it sounded like something she had been sitting on for a while, because Betty wasn’t one to make snap decisions. He didn’t even know what job she was going to take, but it must be something good for her to leave everyone… him and jet off halfway around the world.  
  
He couldn’t believe she would do that, just decide without him. he could try and get her back, if it was about money he would match it, screw that, he would double it. but it can’t have been about that, since London was slightly more expensive than New York, and Betty wasn’t the type to make massive decisions like moving to another continent without discussion first.  
  
Maybe she wanted to be closer to matt? Was another unpleasant thought that sprung into his mind, as matt had left for Africa, leaving Betty with only his shoulder to cry on. Daniel was mad at matt for abandoning Betty, but delighted that he would be away from her. he didn’t want anyone near his Betty any longer. even if he was having a casual relationship with Amanda.  
  
She hadn’t even bothered to tell him, as her employer even. She was leaving her job soon, what was she going to do, just not show up for work in a few weeks? She could have spoken to Wilhelmina, however Daniel doubted she would do that. She hated Wilhelmina, especially after the whole thing with Rosa.  
  
Rosa. She was in England, as far as they knew. Her adoptive parents lived there, but they might have moved on since. Daniel didn’t know what he was going to do, he couldn’t lose Betty.  
  
Since the fiasco with the test Daniel had been in the middle of wondering what to do. So much had happened, and there wasn’t a definitive line between good and bad anymore, instead it was things that had both positive and negative influences. He had found out that he had a half-brother who was adopted when he was born. It didn’t matter that it was his mother’s and Hartley’s because all he could think was what if that was Rosa who reappeared when Daniel had his own kids. He wouldn’t want anyone to turn her away and make her feel unwelcome. He would always love her, so he understood where his mom was coming from. It also explained many of the cryptic things his mother had said when Rosa was adopted to try and make him and Betty feel better.  
  
So, when Betty came into his office he knew that she was going to be miserable about it, and apologising, but he couldn’t stop feeling so miserable either. He didn’t want to be left behind by Betty, but he didn’t want to have to face the world where she was there only because of him.  
It had turned out that she was doing it to follow her dream of running her own magazine, she wasn’t doing it to spite him or make a statement. She needed to move on, in her career, and she was sorry that she was leaving him behind. There was nothing he could do except for nod and sign her form. She knew how much he loved her, she knew how much he always would. there wasn’t anything else to do.  
  
He had listened to her through the relentless on and off of their relationship. They never continued much after Rosa, simply because they were afraid of _being_ , without her. they had followed what she thought would be best, and as much as Daniel didn’t like it he often agreed with her. but, this was it. this was the end.  
  
She had told him that maybe… one day they would be together, but it wasn’t that time now, and now she was going. Maybe it was time for him to move on, to forget it.  
  
He didn’t turn up to anything, he waited until she was gone to go and hide in his apartment and go on a takeaway binge to stop himself from feeling so awful.  
  
Connor was being put on a reduced sentence from prison, so Wilhelmina was something akin to happy, if you could call it that. Daniel still resented Connor for what he did, but knew how much it hurt to have molly taken away from you, so he couldn’t blame the guy that much.  
At least Connor didn’t know that to truly hurt Daniel he would have to take Betty away from him, Betty Suarez was his greatest weakness. She was everything, but sometimes you couldn’t keep a-hold of that.  
  
He had to move on, whether it was from Betty or MODE he did not know. But, he could step down, he could move on from MODE. It wouldn’t have to be in London with Betty, but it didn’t have to be in New York. maybe he could go to France to be with Alexis and DJ, he had thought of reviving HUDSON, for Alexis. but, New York would hold too many memories. Maybe he could be like matt, go help people somewhere, since he didn’t know what to do with his life now Betty was no longer in it.  
  
He could try and move on, but it might not be possible. If it wasn’t, he would do it for Betty, she would want him to continue. Even if it was without her. but there was one thing he was certain of. He would never, never stop loving her, or Rosa.


End file.
